Give a sincere compliment to a friend, a relative, a stranger, an employee, a child, a senior citizen, yourself. Compliments are free, but they do wonders for the spirit. There is a big difference between flattery and a sincere compliment. Flattery is a false or exaggerated compliment that is used to manipulate the receiver. However, you probably think nice things about people all the time. If you think it, then say it! Friends, relatives, co-workers… there are many people who have probably earned a compliment from you, and they can make a world of difference. How much time or energy does it really take to say, “Good job!,” “Nice work!,” “You nailed it!,” “You’re awesome!,” or any other encouraging phrase that you may prefer? These few seconds of encouragement can make the difference between a good day and a bad day, going on or giving up, doing a great job or doing a mediocre job, staying or quitting, feeling appreciated or feeling used. In a recent study of job satisfaction, it came out that the biggest complaint among American employees was a lack of appreciation — not money, not benefits, but appreciation. I am sure that they would have enjoyed more money as well, but a bit of appreciation goes a long way. Lack of appreciation is also one of the biggest complaints of family members. How many people do you know who have NO POSITIVE TRAITS worthy of complimenting? EVERYONE has / does something worthy of a compliment, so don’t be stingy with them. As long as they are sincere, they should be well received.
When complimenting a stranger, you may want to scale it back a little bit so that the person does not think you are up to something, but a quick and polite compliment on a clothing item or something small like that can be a good way to improve a random person’s day. As always, consider the audience. For instance, as a guy, I don’t want to make a woman feel uncomfortable because of my compliment. If I am waiting for a trolley and see that a woman has particularly nice boots, I may say, “Those boots are the coolest! My girlfriend would love those! Do you mind telling me where you picked them up?” That way I get an enthusiastic but casual compliment across, establish that it is not an attempt to “hit on her,” and I can open things up for a bit of light conversation. If the person you compliment does not seem to want to talk, that’s OK. The compliment has been received, and it has probably done what it was intended to do – make that person feel better. There could be a million reasons why the person does not want to chat with you at that moment, so do not take it personally.
COMPLIMENT = APPRECIATION = SELF-ESTEEM = EMPOWERMENT = POSITIVE ACTION = WORLD CHANGE
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