Earlier in the week my husband and I were looking to buy a new television.
After having poor customer service at that first store, we had great service at the second one. After making a decision on a television I casually mentioned to our salesperson that he gave us great service unlike another place that we went to. He seemed taken aback that I complimented him and he humbly thanked me. It then struck me that the poor man probably does not get a lot of compliments at work. He may not a lot of compliments at all in his life.
Receiving a compliment can really make your day. So many days we feel so crummy about ourselves, and then someone randomly comes along and says something really nice. It can be about your appearance, how nicely your child is behaving, or how you are doing a great job at work. Whatever the compliment may be, it can turn a bad mood into a really good one. I have complimentary thoughts about other people all of the time, and need to make an effort to share them more.
As a parent we try to compliment our children every day. We have learned that children need praise and nurturing to become confident and productive human beings. Not all people get that in life, and end up in jobs that they are unfulfilled in, and go down roads that are frustrating. I am deciding to challenge myself, and I challenge you, to compliment at least one random person every day. Something so small and not time consuming will really will make a difference in a stranger’s life. You never know how far a person may go from even a little positive reinforcement. You may be the one who gives someone that little extra push to really succeed.