Toss Those Critters About Like Confetti — Compliments, That Is

January 24th — National Compliment Day

National Compliment Day — that’s the kind of day that should be celebrated every day. Not just one day a year. But maybe some people need to get in practice for it, and gearing up to do it one day is good practice. The goal for the day is to share five compliments.

But I say, why stop at 5? Toss them around. Throw them about randomly. Throw it high in the air like handfuls of confetti.

After all, compliments help make the world go round. They uplift the people who hear them. And they make us, the givers, feel good too.

This isn’t a new annual day to celebrate. This unofficial day was started in 1998 by Debby Hoffman and Kathy Chamberlin as a way “to tell the people in our lives how much we appreciate them.”

And best of all…it’s FREE too! All it takes is a little bit of thought and a few seconds of our time.

Not sure what to say? Here are a few that can get you going.

• You have the best laugh.
• Your way with words always puts a smile on my face.
• I love that fun color in your hair.
• I appreciate you.
• I always feel safe when talking to you.
• I admire how you are true to yourself.
• That’s a beautiful dress.
• You have the best smile.
• Your spirit is contagious and brings joy to everyone.
• Your attitude is inspiring.
• I love being around you.
• You have the best and most creative ideas.
• What a happy baby you have.
• I admire how courageous you are.
• I enjoy talking and spending time with you.
• Thank you for sharing this with me; I appreciate it.
• I admire your confidence and enthusiasm.
• I am so proud of you!
• You bring out the best of myself.
• You are something special.
• You have a good head on your shoulders.
• Your heart is always full of love.
• You always know how to make me feel better, thank you.
• You’re a great person to be around.
• Your outlook on life is inspiring.
• You just light up the room like nobody else.
• You radiate positivity and everyone around you can feel it.
• I am honored to call you my friend.
• I admire your patience and understanding.

One thing to beware of is to make sure that the compliment is sincere. Don’t be fake about it. We’ve all had instances where someone was telling us something, but with the obviously fake smile that accompanied the words, we just knew that it was truly from the heart.

We don’t want to be one of those people.

Oprah Daily shares a few tips about compliment giving.

Link your compliment to something you genuinely feel.

To give a compliment that really resonates, Liben suggests a three-step process, which starts by identifying an action or quality that you truly respect or appreciate. “The compliment should be authentic,” she says, and connected to values that you personally hold dear or that you know are important to that person.

Then, think about why you appreciate that quality.

The next step is to figure out the reason this quality resonates so strongly with you. So to put the first two steps together, for example, if you’re thinking about complimenting a friend about her vacation-planning skills leading up to your girls trip, consider why you appreciate the related actions — did she make the trip fun and stress-free for everyone else, for example? Then, connect the first two steps to deliver the compliment, being as specific as possible. So in the case of the getaway, it might be something like, “You’re so fantastic at picking incredible places to eat! I so appreciate that you’re in control.”

Be authentic and specific, not hyperbolic.

Liben also recommends keeping in mind the “KISS” method for giving compliments: That is, “Keep It Sincere and Specific.”

“Hyperbole or gratuitous praise can cheapen the gesture, making it feel empty and disingenuous. An honest compliment, even if it’s a small one, carries more weight,” she explains.

So, for example, telling your friend that the party she threw was “Literally the best night ever,” might come off as less meaningful than something along the lines of, “I love how you had icebreaker games ready to go so we could all get to know each other as soon as we got there! Hosting seems to come so naturally to you and I really appreciate you always introducing me to new people.”

Give it a shot. Gear up for it now. I’m sharing this a day early so that we can know about it early and can help spread a liberal dose of compliments around our world all day long.

Now, go out there and CELEBRATE THE DAY!

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