If you are anything like me, your confidence is instantly lifted when someone gives you a simple compliment such as, “I love your hair!”, “Your bag is so cute!”, or, “You look stunning in that dress!” After receiving a compliment, the average person goes about their day feeling better about themselves. Many times, instead of telling people what we admire about them, we compliment them in our heads! But it is much more beneficial for you and others if you tell them what it is that you admire about them. Compliments should be given daily because it could uplift someone’s confidence, lighten up their mood, spark a friendship and/or connection, or even inspire them to compliment others.
Seeing a glow on someone’s face as they give us a kind compliment makes us feel great inside. Some ladies might have days where they are in a rush to get to their destination and did not spend an appropriate amount of time to fix their hair or makeup as they wished, but a simple compliment such as, “Your natural look is beautiful,” could make her feel beautiful inside regardless of how “unattractive” she had been feeling. As I can recall, there have been PLENTY of days where I threw on a hat and instead of wearing my contacts I wore glasses since I developed bags under my eyes from not getting enough sleep the previous night. And when someone told me, “You look very pretty,” I thought to myself, “Hmm… maybe I do not look bad after all!” Also, a compliment could uplift someone’s mood. Whether someone looks happy, sad, confident, or depressed, you never truly know what they are feeling, therefore, a compliment could be the key to a great day for them!
Complimenting someone could also lead to a friendship. If the two of you run into each other again, then they will remember how kind you were to them and they may start a conversation with you. Looking back, I realize that many of my closest friendships began with a compliment. Don’t get it twisted, compliments do not only have to be about physical appearance. You could compliment a classmate’s project presentation, someone’s essay, or even a dish someone has prepared. The people you compliment will never forget how kind you were to them, and they will surely remember you the next time you cross paths!
Compliments make people feel good about themselves inside, and as the famous Maya Angelou quote states, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”