Over the years I have always noticed that I love to give compliments to people. Most of the time, I'll give someone a compliment soon after meeting them. I also noticed that most people don’t like to praise others and I have always wondered why. There are so many reasons why we should always empower each other no matter the gender, race, culture, age, etc.

Your compliment might be the only nice thing that person hears all day. You don’t know how their family, friends, coworkers, and even bosses treat them. They may constantly be surrounded by negativity and put-downs. If your one sentence can change someone’s whole perspective on life why wouldn’t you want to do that? You can be the person that gives them hope or even inspires them to get rid of the negativity in their lives. Everybody always talks about wanting to change the world, but that doesn’t always mean a big change. But if big change is something you really want to see then start off small and work your way up. If you start with one person and then continue to compliment everybody you see, that in fact will create a big change in a lot of people’s lives.

Your compliment might be saving a life. People are good at putting on fake faces; the person you are talking to might be in a deep depression and may even be suicidal. Maybe this doesn’t make sense to you, but one spark of happiness in someone’s life may be the reason they choose to continue to live. Be somebody’s savior because you just never know who is in dire need of one.

Complimenting people can build your own self-esteem. Once you start to view others in a more positive manner, you start to view yourself that way too. Knowing you are bringing joy into world helps you to be happier. And it’s all about giving and receiving. The more you give, the more you get, and that isn’t just a cliché. The more positive energy and love you give out into the world, the more you are going to get back. Also, bringing someone up isn’t putting yourself down. You are giving admiration to another person, and you are not tearing yourself down. Saying you like somebody’s shirt doesn’t mean yours is ugly. Telling someone they have a great personality doesn’t mean you have a bad one. And congratulating someone on his or her accomplishment doesn’t take away from your own.

We all want a better, more peaceful world where everybody can live in harmony. But how is that going to happen if we are all too jealous and competitive to simply compliment one another? I challenge you to give at least one compliment a day, whether it is to a friend, family member, or even stranger. Don’t necessarily just give them a shallow comment about their appearance either. Give someone a meaningful compliment about who they are on the inside. I bet you after a week of doing this you are going to feel a bright light inside of yourself, and others will view you as a more confident and encouraging individual.