The Downside Of Compliments

I appreciate all the nice things people say when we complete a RICH’S RIDE tour.

We receive many kind notes. People stop us at church to tell us how much they appreciate what we do. We hear from folks all over the country who are inspired and encouraged by the rides and the blogs. It’s all quite gratifying.

I enjoy compliments and praise. While it’s good to know others appreciate our efforts, I have to be really aware of my mindset when people start telling me how great I am. I get easily distracted and if I’m not careful I wander off track.

Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. (Romans 8:5-8 MSG)

I can maintain a spiritual mindset, or I can be absorbed in the things of the world. One leads to freedom and life; the other to death.

It seems like two things happen when I get too focused on approval and appreciation.

I want more. Without realizing it, I become focused on pleasing people, doing whatever elicits those short-term expressions of approval.

The actions that lead to pats on the back aren’t always compatible with long-term success. I end up compromising key principles and straying from the core mission simply to get that compliment.

Attaboy’s are great when they flow naturally from what you’re doing. They tell you you’re on the right track.

When you start seeking immediate praise, perhaps it’s time to re-focus.

I start comparing. It stops being about doing what I can do and starts being about what others are doing.

I start asking why they’re getting all the attention, why they have more blog followers, why the leaders give them all the praise.

Comparing is deadly. When I start hearing those questions swirling in my brain I know it’s time to remind myself why we’re doing this.

There’s nothing wrong with accepting and enjoying compliments graciously. I just think it’s best not to take them too seriously, to try to keep re-centering the picture. A spiritual mindset keeps the attention where it belongs—on God.

That’s not false humility; it’s freedom.

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