I've decided I need to improve my karma. I'm on a self improvement jag of sorts, and was thinking of different things you can do to improve yourself. I remembered a time two summers ago, when I complimented a lady on her pants as she was leaving the grocery store. She grinned widely and I felt pretty good too, which lead me to ten ways you can easily give someone a compliment.
I think everyone has some form of intuition, and experience has told me that girls are especially good at listening to it. Reaching out and finding a compliment for someone who looks like they're having an awful day can make a huge difference. You know what it's like to be having an awful day, think how much a compliment can mean.
Don't offer an insincere compliment, that's really the worst. I believe if you really look hard enough, you can find something positive in just about everyone. Yes, I was Heidi in a past life, but I don't like to let it get around – it ruins my rep. Honestly though, if you look hard you can find something, even if it's just a piece of jewelry. And odds are that it will mean a lot to the recipient.
Telling someone they have beautiful eyes, a lovely smile, or great hair doesn't take a lot of effort. The comment doesn't have to be flirtatious, just sincere. To compliment someone on something you find comely produces a special variety of warm fuzzy feelings.
If you know a personal detail about a person, about a piece of jewelry or an article of clothing, it's wonderful to incorporate that into a word of praise. It's sort of like the icing on the cake, and shows that you honestly care.
Calculated compliments that seem to evade answers or more serious conversational topics can come off as fake and phony. Besides, no one plans to compliment a woman walking down the street or a guy in the store. It just happens – and sometimes those are the best ones.
If I am trying to be friends with someone, or think I'd like to be, I always try to compliment something particular about them. How kind they are, how good they are at a certain activity, something I like about the way they tell stories. In line with being personal, this is a great way to let someone know you think the whole package is great.
I love getting compliments for no reason. I mean, I love compliments that have nothing to do with it being my birthday or a holiday or something, and do not come about because someone wants something from me. “Say, have you lost weight? Man, you look great, and I need to borrow money.”
In certain situations, it's tempting to offer a cliché compliment. You might be nervous or you might not know the person you're complimenting very well. Do what you can to be original all the same, and if nothing springs to mind, just wait a little while and get to know the person a bit better.
Just because you give doesn't always mean you're going to get. It is also incredibly easy to tell when the person complimenting you excepts something in return. It could be any number of ways, but even if the compliment is sincere, that tend to take away from it.
What I mean by this is, naturally, it's okay to tell your friend that her butt looks great in that dress, but you don't want to try that with someone you don't know very well. This seems really self explanatory, but you'd be surprised at the things I've heard...
Even if you don't get the kind of reaction you were expecting, brightening someone else's day always makes your own brighter. Still, sometimes people find it hard to accept a compliment. Do any of you feel that way?
Top Photo Credit: foreverinamotion