Don’t you love to receive compliments?  It’s great for your self-esteem and just plain feels good to hear someone else’s respect or admiration.  Those few words lighten your moods and give you the strength to push forward with you head held high.

Compliments reinforce that you’re doing something right and your efforts are being appreciated.  It only takes a moment to notice something small about someone offering a compliment can certainly make a difference in that person’s day.  

Compliment Your Family

Showing your appreciation to those you love has a dual purpose: it shows how grateful you are to have them in your life while at the same time acknowledging the special work they’ve done.

Here are a few examples of ways to express your gratitude:

• “Thanks for clearing the dishes.  You did a great job!”
  
  
• “I really appreciate your help with dinner tonight!  It was a wonderful meal.”
  
  
• “I am so thankful for your love and support.  You’ve really helped me get through a tough day.”

Children and adults alike are encouraged to help more if they are complimented and receive positive acknowledgement.  Hearing compliments on a regular basis also teaches children how to appreciate the people in their lives.

Compliment Your Coworkers

There are two types of managers in business: one who appreciates their workers for a job well done and another who just expects the job to get done without any acknowledgement.  Obviously we all need to treat each other with the respect and dignity we deserve!

Here are some examples of how to express gratitude at work:

• “Thanks for staying late today. I’ll be sure to tell the boss how hard you’ve been working lately.”
  
  
• “The client really loved the report you wrote.”
  
  
• “I really appreciate you taking the time out to help me with this. It means a lot to me!”

Adding a personal touch to the office by giving compliments can be a huge motivator.  Your colleagues will trust and respect you far more than anyone else in the office.

Compliment Strangers

In today’s society very few people take the time to strike up a conversation with a total stranger.  We have to remember that people are brought into our lives everyday for a variety of reasons, and you can deeply affect someone’s mood just by being nice to them.

Of course, you probably shouldn’t divulge your entire life’s story the first time you meet someone, but what you can do is notice something good about a person and tell them.  Show your gratitude for meeting this person because this experience just might teach you something new about yourself.

Here are a few examples of things you can look for to give an honest compliment about:

• Is the person a sharp dresser?
  
  
• Is he a genuinely nice person to others?
  
  
• Are the person’s children very well-behaved?
  
  
• Did you see the person do a kind act for someone else?

The key to expressing your gratitude is opening your eyes to seeing the simple gifts in your day.  By paying attention to the actions of those around you, you’ll not only help others gain confidence, but you’ll become known as the trustworthy go-to guy or go-to gal.

We love compliments so much, we give them out for free at our branches!  Come visit us to see what we mean.  We also made giving compliments a part of our 31-Day Kindness Challenge.  Make a goal to compliment at least one person each and every day.  You’ll start appreciating the small things in life and you’ll brighten someone’s day at the same time.