There is the saying
"Do something every day that scares you" and I believe that is excellent advice. A healthy amount of fear not only keeps us feeling alive, but keeps us on a pathway of personal growth and increases our ability to touch the lives of others. This might also be referred to as getting "outside your comfort zone". If nothing else,
participating in the Daily Dare will increase your awareness of the world around you and keep you living in the moment each day. Each day I will give you a challenge, a dare. Some of them will undoubtedly be easy for you, while others may be quite difficult, but I invite you to do the dare and then to share what happened with the rest of us.
I'd like you to
think about the last time you received a compliment (hopefully it was recent enough to remember). Who gave it to you? What did they say? How did you feel? By way of confession, I actually cannot remember the details of the last compliment I received. I do, however, remember how I felt. It was a mixture of surprise, pleasure, and gratitude. I didn't expect that the person would even notice the thing I had done well or the thing that was nice about me, much less comment on it! But when they did, it made me feel that I was important, both to them and to the world. Can you remember receiving a compliment? Now,
think back to the last time you gave a compliment..... I'll bet it's been awhile, hasn't it?
Today's dare: Pay someone a sincere compliment. Watch their reaction!
When you compliment someone- be it on their work, their appearance, their character, or whatever- you make them feel appreciated, you increase their sense of worth, and you give them renewed energy to be the best possible version of themselves- and these results apply even if the compliment comes from someone they don't know! Furthermore, complimenting someone shows that you are an observant, appreciative, kind, and wise person.... And you thought acts of kindness only benefit someone else! Not so. Actually, you are bound to receive a compliment back when you give one! In addition to noticing the way your compliment affects the recipient, notice the way it makes
you feel. Extra points if you choose someone you: don't know, don't like, or don't get along with very well. Be careful, though, that your compliment rings true. Otherwise, this could be a negative experience for both of you.
A compliment should have a sincere quality to it, never be given in a backhanded way (i.e. Good to see that your hair looks better than it
usually does!), and it should not put other people down (i.e. You are so much better at this than
everyone else in the room!). Once you give a compliment, don't "water it down" with a negative comment afterwards (i.e. You did a really good job cleaning the house. I wish you'd remembered to take out the trash, though...). You are putting yourself out there and are in a way vulnerable when you say something like, "I really think you have a very special talent for connecting with the people around you", and that is what makes a compliment so special. You trust the other person to accept your words of praise graciously and you have just send a message full of nothing but positive energy.
If you compliment someone and they deny the truth of your statement, don't be offended. Oftentimes people feel uncomfortable receiving compliments because they either don't feel that they deserve it (that the statement is not in fact true) or that accepting it will make them look a bit narcissistic. Know that this is the case and don't retract your statement. The compliment will work its magic anyway!
Happy complimenting everyone! Please leave a comment once you've done the dare and tell us how it went!
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