World Compliment Day
When was the last time someone paid you a compliment? Do you remember how happy and appreciated it made you feel? We often take for granted that our friends and family know how much we admire them. Yet, saying it openly can not only strengthen your relationships, but can literally make your day and someone else’s. The World Compliment Day was created to make us realize how wonderful it is to remind our loved ones how special they are to us.
The origins of the World Compliment Day
World Compliment Day was first introduced in the Netherlands but spread quickly all over the world. Some call it “the most positive day in the world”.
It is celebrated worldwide on March 1st.
According to its creator, Hans Poortvliet, the goal of this especial day is for each one of us to take the time to pay a sincere compliment to at least three people during that day.
How to celebrate the World Compliment Day
The best way to give a compliment is to be sincere and emphasize what we really appreciate about the other person. There is no need to overthink it. In fact, you can make nice compliments without going too deep. The secret is to show appreciation for an action taken by the other person and not a passive characteristic.
If, for example, a friend of yours is very good at playing the violin, don’t just tell him or her that he or she has talent, but rather that you admire the hard work he or she has put in to become so good at it.
Compliments on style have a bigger positive impact than compliments on physical appearance. For example, it’s nice to hear “you’ve got beautiful eyes”, but it feels even better to be told “the color of this sweater looks really good on you” or “I like your shoes”. This is because there’s only so much one can do about their physical appearance, but their style is a matter of choice and an expression of personality.
How to respond to a compliment
On the World Compliment Day, of course, compliments are not only given, but also received!
How to respond to compliments is not obvious to everybody. In fact, many people feel embarrassed when someone tells them something positive. In an attempt not to be arrogant, they end up minimizing the compliment. However, in doing so, they end up getting the opposite result.
For example, when someone says “I like your new haircut!” they say “No I hate it, I can’t wait for it to grow back”. Or “what nice shoes you’ve got!”, they react by saying “Oh they’re so old, I should get a new pair.” We tend to respond like this to seem humble, but we really only offend the other person’s taste.
So a simple thank you and a smile are enough to leave everyone happy and avoid embarrassment.
But after all, what’s wrong with receiving a compliment?
Conclusion
In today’s hectic world, we often forget to take the time to tell those we love how much we appreciate them. The purpose of the World Compliment Day is precisely to remind us of that. After all, it doesn’t cost anything to pay compliments (pun not intended), but it can greatly improve the day of those we care about and ours as well.
By the way, we appreciate you, dear reader.
p.s.: do small compliments make your day? Maybe words of affirmation is your main love language!
