Compliments

“I can live for three months on a good compliment.”
-Mark Twain

Isn’t that true for all of our lives?  Doesn’t it just light up your day to have someone genuinely compliment you?  If we know that it can make such a great difference, not only in our own lives, but also in other people’s lives, too, why don’t we give more compliments?  It really doesn’t cause any pain to say, “Wow.  You look really nice today,” or “Great job on that.”  So, if we are aware of the simplicity or the matter, why don’t we do it?  Maybe a big reason is it is hard to tell people about their accomplishments, often because they are surpassing our own.  It is easier to be nice to those who we don’t consider as “competition.”  The people whose opinions we really value, though, are generally the ones that we are around and do the most with.  You also get the most satisfaction about being complimented by them.    

Another reason it is often hard to give compliments is because people are sometimes bad at receiving them.  It feels awkward when you’ve gone out on a limb to say something nice, and it is returned with, “I don’t look good.  This shirt is awful,” or whatever the case may be.  Who wants to say something nice when rudeness is returned?  This is where we all need to work.  When paid a compliment, be gracious and thank the person for it.  If you’ve done something good, appreciate that you’ve done something, but don’t get cocky about it.  I believe the easiest way to deal with compliments is to say something nice back.  It’s a great win-win situation because everyone walks away feeling better about their day.  So, just think what a better place this world would be if we would all compliment each other more often!