Compliments - use them!

Today, after work I was standing outside waiting for my gramma when a little girl came out the front door. She was probably around nine years old and I had never seen her before because I don't usually work with the older kids. She just looked at me as she was getting in her car (the one parked right in front of where I was standing). As her hand was on the handle, she said "you look very pretty today" and then got in the car and her mom drove off. That was the only thing she said to me. No introduction, no conversation. She just told me I was pretty and then went on her merry way.

It made my whole day!

Honestly, it got me thinking about what I say and how others perceive who I am. Do I compliment people enough? Do I tell people what I think about them when I notice something I like? Am I letting people know that I care about them?

Think about how many days I could make by just simply saying something like "you look pretty today" out of the blue. I mean, come on! That's not even difficult. And yet, it could change someone's entire attitude and mood for that day. I hold so much power! The change that I could bring into the world is amazing.

I've always said that I don't want to change the world. I don't have high ambitions for becoming a major influence in business or innovation or anything like that. No, I don't want to change the world. But I want to change someone's world. It is the small differences that matter to me. And just think, I could be accomplishing that right now! I could be checking that off my bucket list as we speak, if I would just open my mouth and tell others that they mean something to me, that I think they are great and that they matter.

So what's holding me back? That it's slightly unconventional? So what?! Since when am I conventional in any sense of the word? Why am I using so many question marks? This is getting ridiculous.

The point is, thinking good thoughts about someone is easy, but it isn't going to make a difference to them if you don't show them how you feel. Starting tomorrow (since that is the first time I'm going to interact with people again...), I am going to make more of an effort to compliment people, to let them know that I've noticed how great they are and that I appreciate them, even if I am meeting them for the first time.

There can always be more love in this world and I'm gonna bring it, gosh darn it!