By Lorie Ham
We all know that 2020 was a rough year, not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally. As we start a new year, everyone could use more positive things in their life to help lift their spirits. One way to help yourself and others would be to celebrate National Compliment Day on January 24.
According to TimeandDate.com, this unofficial day was started in 1998 by Debby Hoffman and Kathy Chamberlin as a way to tell people in their lives how much they appreciated them, and now people celebrate all over the world.
A compliment is a polite expression of praise or admiration. But what is a ‘good’ compliment? For a compliment to be good, it must be sincere. No one really wants to hear false praise, but almost everyone blossoms under a sincere compliment. It can be helpful though to keep in mind the personality of the person you are complimenting. Some people just find it embarrassing, and many people have a hard time accepting that it is sincere. So be sure to give careful thought to what and how to best compliment those around you.
If you are complimenting a friend, family member, or long time coworker, you probably have a pretty good idea of what type of compliment they will receive well. Unless you are also close friends, it is probably best not to compliment a coworker on their appearance just to be certain that it won’t be misunderstood. However, you can definitely compliment them on doing a good job at work. On the other hand, your sibling or your spouse might love to hear you tell them how nice they look today. In complimenting strangers, often you can once again use a compliment that refers to their job. Thank a clerk at the store for being helpful in checking out your items. Thank a deliveryman for wearing a mask when they drop off your package. Thank your local librarian for being so good at finding you just the right book. Thank your insurance agent for being helpful in finding you just the right coverage.
The website National Today has a lot of helpful tips and thoughts on giving compliments on National Compliment Day, and some very interesting statistics about different ways that people react to compliments. You can also find some great tips on Pinterest, and Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt has some great suggestions on her website.
Even if we aren’t able to give compliments in person, most of us are on social media and can easily find opportunities there to compliment others. You could also send an email, or make a phone call. You may just brighten someone’s very difficult day by doing so. We would love it if you would share with us on our Facebook page some of your ideas about giving compliments on National Compliment Day, and every day!
