Transformative Compliments

7 Reasons Why You Should Pay a Compliment to Someone Every Day

It happens to the best of us: we all have those days when we’re feeling a little bit off, a little blue or just plain cranky. The next time you find yourself trying to positively affirm your way out of that bad mood and the best you can do is mumble a near-profanity through clenched teeth, take a look around and pay a compliment to the first person you see. It sounds a lot easier than it is in the midst of trying to outrun a dark cloud that’s been chasing you all day, but I’m willing to bet that if you stop running long enough to let someone know you like their shoes or their smile or even their left earlobe, both of your worlds will be transformed almost instantly.

Here are the top 7 reasons to make a compliment to someone every day, whether you’re under a black cloud or rainbow:

7. It takes the focus off of you.

Any time you can break the habit of “stinkin’ thinkin’” even just for a second, you’re shifting your attention from all the things going wrong in your day and putting it on helping make someone else’s day a little sunnier. Before long, your compliment to a complete stranger could go viral, and strangers everywhere will be smiling at each other, telling the person they just passed on the street something they like about them. Yes, this is indeed a game changer for everyone.

6. Smiling burns calories.

And smiling often leads to laughing, and laughing burns even more calories.

5. Compliments spark creativity.

Finding something positive to say to someone at least once a day has to the power to remove, say, that person’s mental block around a big project they’ve been struggling with and clear the pathways for them to get to the solution.  While something this drastic might not happen to each person who receives a compliment from you, you will undoubtedly create a space for them to think differently from that moment on. Small acts of kindness go a long way these days.

4. Kindness doesn’t actually kill.

We’ve all heard the phrase “kill them with kindness.” Well, if the fear of killing someone with kindness has prevented you from complimenting a person, I hereby release you from said fear.Kindness could quite possibly kill a bad mood or a bad memory, but it WILL NOT kill you or the person on the other end of the kindness. Don’t believe me? Try it! Be nice to someone right now and see what happens.

3. Sincere compliments build trust.

Each one of us walking this planet has the desire to be acknowledged. When someone else notices even the slightest thing about another person, it can shout to that person, “Hey!  Someone noticed me!!” Your daily compliments to “the shy one” at work whose name no one knows can help her break out of her shyness and, who knows? turn her into the best friend you’ve ever had. We all need someone in our lives we can trust, and the more we build up others the more we’re also building up ourselves.

2. What goes around comes around.

When you give a compliment, you’re more than likely going to get one in return. And like we just saw in Reason #3, when someone notices you, you’ll feel special even if it’s just for a moment. That moment could be enough to carry you the rest of the day and keep you happy and productive. Your boss might notice the change in your attitude and give you the raise that’s been coming to you for the last two years. You’ll be happier, your co-workers will be happier and pretty soon the whole office building is happy. And yet again we have things going and coming around.

And the number 1 reason to make a compliment to someone every day (drum roll please),

1. Compliments are F.R.E.E.!

Enough said.

 

This article was written by Danica Trebel.
It first appeared at Lifehack.
And, it is GYAtoday approved!

Graphic credits: QuotesBuddy.com and unknown.