allow people to speak highly of themselves and admire them for it. you don’t know how long they spent questioning their worth before they finally learned to recognize it. what sounds like cockiness to you, may be the result of years spent rebuilding themselves from the inside out.
I discovered a life hack by accident. A relative insulted me, and I missed it. I just kept being nice to him, so he insulted me again. He ended up stopping the conversation to let me know I was supposed to be insulted. It bothered him that I didn't react. You know what…?