Say Something Nice Day
Compliment- Polite expression of praise or admiration
What a fun celebration! Proclaimed in 2006 to overcome bullying and encourage kindness, this celebration is noted annually June 1st, but can easily be celebrated every day.
Bona fide compliments add sunshine to our day. That unexpected attention sparks a lift within and around us. We feel appreciated, it adds a boost to our ego, and eases tension we may not even know we have!
So, why don’t compliments flow easily?
Complimenting Feeling Like A Struggle?
Yep. Finding something nice to say isn’t always easy.
Three reasons –
1) Our brains are hardwired to focus on the negative rather than the positive for survival.
2) Our personality preference can lend itself to being shy, overlooking another or even being uncomfortable complimenting.
3) Our ego. Our habit is to focus on ourselves, do our job and don’t trip up.
So, if we’re wired to not compliment, then why bother?
Complimenting Is Soooo Worth It!
Complimenting benefits our health, our relationships and is as rewarding as receiving money according to Professor Sadato at the National Institute for Physiological Sciences in Japan. Cha-ching! So, how do we give a compliment?
Making Complimenting Simple
1 – Be Confident
Overcoming the hardwiring of negativity, personality preference and ego is made easier with determination, commitment and action.
- Decide you are going to reach out and offer heartfelt praise.
- Commit to the action and number of recipients. If you commit to complimenting three people, then compliment three people. You’ll also benefit by achieving your goal. #winning
- Take Action and deliver the warm fuzzy. Override any thoughts of doubt and fear. Look for ways to step up and offer the compliment. Life can be intrusive and attempt to block your path, but keep your eye on the prize. The outcome is emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually worth it.
2 – Be Sincere
People know when you’re lying. If you don’t mean what you’re saying their gut feeling will be rumbling and screaming, “Liar! Liar!”
Anything lacking or false will stand out and be resented, so be sure to only offer what you truly appreciate. If your intention is to offer words of praise, that honest vibration will be felt too.
3 – Train Yourself To Spot Awesomeness
- Find something! Be specific! “What cute shoes! What a great smile you have! or Thank you for driving so safely.”
- Consider complimenting a skill they have that you don’t!
- Train yourself to look for something to compliment.
4 – Let It Out
Speaking out can be uncomfortable. What if what you say is misunderstood or unwelcome? But, what if your compliment eases pain or heartache? If your compliment is kind, sincere and heartfelt then that is all you can control. That is the part that matters. The receiver needs to be able to accept the compliment and that’s another blog. So, please take the leap of faith and just say it.
Think about being in a waiting room. You’re nervous and alone. Suddenly, a stranger offers you a smile. That action already created a shift. Tension and fear eases.
If you return the smile, which is a natural reaction, your smile now released endorphins, dopamine and serotonin, the feel good, happy chemicals in your brain, making you feel better and less stressed.
Then, if they follow their smile with a compliment, Woohoo! “That’s a really pretty blue on you. It brings the color out in your eyes.”
The energy of the entire room changes. That one smile, that one interaction causes a positive ripple effect for everyone.
5 – Form The Habbit
The more you do something, the more natural it becomes. You’ll find yourself naturally noticing things to compliment and you’ll have more follow-through because of the muscle memory created in offering the praise. You’ve so got this!
No matter our brain design, personality or ego, we can choose to spread kindness and love with a sincere compliment! Thanks to your decision, commitment and actions, Say Something Nice Day will be the norm, not just a day celebrated June 1st.
Thank you for celebrating this day. Thank you for reading this blog! May I start the compliment movement with you? You are a such a beautiful spirit in this world! Your shine is sparkly and bright. You truly are awesome!
