The compliment project

The Compliment Project

Prayer is a huge portion of strength in my life. When asked to prayerfully seek out someone to compliment I felt overwhelmingly excited, however for some reason that excitement turned to fear. When it came to the time of actually complimenting someone I found it difficult began to think badly about myself and how I interact with others. I began to think do I really notice others? How much do I really care? And the answer to these questions severely humbled me.
My first compliment was going to be directed at my mother. I know her the best and I thought that there couldn’t be anyone I would rather say something nice to. I called her up and told her how much I appreciated every time she answered the phone, as silly as that sounds. I told her that I loved to hear her voice and how much talking to her helped ease my stress. My mother then explained to me how she had been having a rough “mother day” as I am sure several mothers do. She felt as though she may have gone wrong somewhere with her children and that they didn’t appreciate her. I told her the opposite, this showed me that complimenting those you love helps you love them more when truthfully I didn’t think I could!
The next compliment was a difficult one to give. I work in a place that is comparable to a high school drama fest, not just every once in a while, this is something that occurs on a daily basis. Everyone gossips about everyone else, and to be honest I have been at fault for this sometimes too! So I was trying to earnestly seek out someone I didn’t like very much, someone that maybe hadn’t said nice things about me. And that is exactly what I did. There is this guy named Aaron who has a difficult time getting along with others. He is very much into his own world and his own thoughts, very opinionated. Now I am not saying this is wrong, but this type of a strong personality is sometimes difficult to cope with. I decided that day to tell him that I thought he was a good worker, and it was sincere. He looked at me, smiled and replied with an honest thank you.
Since that time he has not been much different, still strong willed, and sometimes overly grumpy, but I have hope! The other day he said hello as he walked through the door to begin his shift, an irregular occurrence. One that made me smile, knowing that maybe we were headed in a right direction. All it takes is time and patience.
My final compliment is perhaps the most simple and the one that is the most dear to my heart. I was a teenage girl once and I understand how hard it is to really feel good about yourself sometimes. In the media today all we hear about is you’re not good enough, you’re not pretty enough. This sometimes makes each day tough, and a struggle to work though. I made it a conscious effort to find someone that wasn’t feeling good about themselves and say something nice about them. I work with a uniquely pretty lady, beautiful long dark hair and soft brown eyes. I have always thought she was beautiful, but something behind the softness of those eyes tells me there is nervousness there. I walked up to her and told her she looked so pretty that day… And her eyes, brimmed with tears, she said, “Thank you, it’s been a while since someone has told me something that nice…” I was touched, in a slightly sad way. I wanted her so much to know what I really thought of her, and some day maybe I will get the chance. I just wish everyone had their time in the sun, their time to really feel beautiful.
Life is tough, but it’s those little moments within a compliment, the smile of a friend, the love of another, that bring us closer. That bring us such happiness, it’s our duty to share them more often.