Compliments come and go, but some stay with us forever. They don’t just make us smile for a moment; they shift something deep inside us. The best ones don’t flatter—they reveal.
When my previous supervisor told me, “You are a racehorse,” I didn’t know what to say. It was my first job in Germany, my first step back into the workforce after a career break from being a copy editor in the Philippines. I was still finding my way, adjusting to a new country, a new culture, a new rhythm of life. Confidence didn’t come easily. I was careful, uncertain, constantly questioning if I was doing enough, if I was good enough.
But then he said those words. And something clicked.
He saw something in me that I hadn’t yet seen in myself.
A racehorse doesn’t hesitate. It doesn’t second-guess. It runs because that’s what it’s built for. And when I worked, that’s exactly what I did. No matter how unsure I felt about the world around me, once I started, I moved with speed and focus. I pushed forward. I gave everything I had. Even when I wasn’t confident, I was still determined.
Until that moment, I had seen my own intensity as just that—a tendency to work fast, to keep moving, to push hard. But when my supervisor called me a racehorse, he reframed it. He made me realize that this wasn’t just a habit. It was a strength.
And with that, I started seeing myself differently.
I wasn’t just someone trying to keep up in a foreign country. I wasn’t just a former copy editor figuring out a new industry. I was someone who could run. Someone who thrived under pressure. Someone who, when given a track, didn’t hold back.
That single compliment didn’t erase my self-doubt overnight. But it planted a seed. It made me recognize a quality in myself that I had overlooked.
It also gave me something to hold onto in moments of uncertainty. Whenever I felt like I didn’t belong or worried that I wasn’t measuring up, I reminded myself: I am a racehorse. And a racehorse doesn’t stop just because the track is unfamiliar. It keeps running. It adapts. It finds its pace.
Over time, I grew into that image. I stopped questioning whether I was enough. Instead, I focused on where I could go next. I leaned into my strengths. I allowed myself to own the energy and drive that had always been there.
That’s the power of a great compliment. It doesn’t just make you feel good—it changes how you see yourself. It opens a door you didn’t even realize was closed. It reveals something about you that was always there, just waiting to be recognized.
And for me, that revelation came in four simple words: “You are a racehorse.”
Thank you, Tony! 😊
How about you? What was the best compliment you’ve received?
