Connection is a two way street
Let’s chat about why accepting love is a sign of growth and deep self-worth.
This past week, I’ve been sitting with a simple yet powerful thought. As my birthday came and went, I felt love pouring in from different corners of my life—texts from friends, sweet gestures, moments of reflection on the relationships I’ve nurtured.
And I felt really grateful for this because once upon a time, I would think to myself: Am I fully receiving this?
It’s easy to focus on giving. Giving love, giving compliments, giving support. That’s noble… right?
But what about when it’s time to receive?
This is a spicy one, but hear me out: If you struggle to accept love, whether it comes in the form of compliments, affection or generosity, that’s not humility.
That’s unworthiness in disguise.
I used to think brushing off a compliment was endearing, that deflecting admiration meant I wasn’t making it about me.
But I’ve realized something: Every time I downplay love that’s being given to me, I’m not just rejecting the words—I’m rejecting the person offering them. I’m telling them their reflection of me isn’t valid. I’m subtly saying, I don’t believe you.
And that’s not a flex. That’s a block.
This shows up in so many ways:
A friend tells you how much they appreciate you, and you respond, “Oh, stop, it’s nothing.”
Someone admires your work and you feel the need to over-explain why it’s not that great.
A partner expresses their love and instead of soaking it in, you deflect with a joke.
But why? Why is it so much easier to pour love out than to take it in?
Because receiving requires openness. It asks us to believe we are worthy of being loved simply because we exist—not because we earned it, not because we worked for it, not because we gave it first. Just because.
And that’s where the real growth happens.
When you can accept love without cringing, when you can hold a compliment without immediately needing to return it, when you can sit in the warmth of someone’s appreciation without shrinking—that’s evolution.
That’s self-worth.
This birthday, I made a conscious effort to receive. To let the love in. To believe people when they tell me I’m important to them. To hold their words with gratitude instead of resistance.
Because what if, instead of pushing love away, we made a practice of absorbing it? What if we allowed ourselves to be deeply seen and cherished—not just for what we do, but for who we are?
That is the real flex. That is the real work.
You don’t need their validation to survive, but you do need connection to thrive. And connection is a two-way street.
Receiving is just as important as giving. And when you master both? That’s when you step into your highest self.
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So, this is my challenge to you: The next time someone gives you a compliment, just say “thank you.”
The next time someone shows you love, don’t shrink—expand.
Let it in.