We have talked lots of times about giving the gifts you want to receive, but it occurred to me that it applies to more than just material things.    The same principle applies to how you treat other people.

Everyone likes to receive compliments, but how often to we pay compliments to the people around us?  The next time you’re feeling down on yourself, try complimenting someone else.  Tell a friend why they are a good friend.  Tell a co-worker why they’re good at their job.  Compliment someone you barely know, or don’t know at all, on their clothing.  You’ll find that when you compliment other people, you feel better about yourself.

Unfortunately, society often tries to teach us that we’re not supposed to talk about our feelings, or share our emotions with others.  It’s too bad that other people’s insecurity leads to this type of thinking.  If we were all more honest with each other about what we feel, the world would be a better place.  We could solve our conflicts instead of pretending they don’t exist.  And we would say positive things to the people that we care about.

For the next week, try saying at least one complimentary thing to a different person every day.  See how much better you feel when you do it.