“I can live for two months on a good compliment,” Mark Twain, figurative though, but Mark wanted to paint a clear picture of how much power a sincere compliment holds. Everyone loves compliments; it makes us smile and makes all the difference when someone points out an amazing quality or feature about us.
The Power of Compliments
We know words can hurt, but conversely, they can also nurture and motivate. A compliment can help reassure someone, makes someone’s day better, and help them walk with their head held high. It might even positively impact their lives somehow. This world has enough troubles and ugliness in it, and spreading a little more joy and happiness in it is what we all need from time to time.
Sincerity is the Key
The key is to ensure that you speak genuinely and that the compliment you give out is as sincere as possible. Giving compliments also make an impact on you, the compliment giver. Seeing the joy a compliment brings to another person gives us a sense of fulfillment, like when we help someone in need and, in return, it brings us joy and positivity. Remember, we reap what we sow!
Here are three powerful compliments that make people feel great – and you too!
1) “You’re doing a great job!”
2) “You have a unique view on things.”
3) “You really project positive energy!”
Let’s find out why these compliments make people feel great.
Motivation and Encouragement
Want to motivate someone and help nudge them towards success? Use this powerful compliment:
“You’re doing a great job!”
This kind of a compliment, like from a boss or supervisor towards an employee, makes a world of difference. It can also come, for example, from a mentor to a mentee, or a coach to his players. It basically lets a person know that you affirm and recognize their achievements, and it reinforces the idea that a good job will be rewarded.
Note that this doesn’t have to be limited to a professional arena. This compliment, for example, can come from a parent to a child for encouragement. Or it can come from one friend to another friend to help motivate him along in life. It can be from a big brother to his little brother to nudge him along.
You can use other variations like:
“You’ve did an awesome job!”
“I am proud of how far you have come!”
“You’re making great progress!”
Why this kind of compliment makes people feel great:
- It helps reassure someone who might be second-guessing their work or progress.
- It gives a person confidence in accomplishing his job, goal or task.
- It provides motivation and excitement in pursuing success.
Summary: Use this compliment to help people feel more confident in doing something, and motivate them to perform at a high level and move towards success!
Conversation and Debate
Want to make a person feel unique and appreciated? You can drop this subtle compliment in many everyday situations. Watch the person can’t help but perk up.
“You have a unique view on things.”
We all have our own thoughts, beliefs and convictions. In today’s world, it seems factors are making people polarized and everyone is arguing and confrontational over personal beliefs and opinions. This “neutral” compliment recognizes that a person has his or her own opinions and beliefs without passing judgment. It compliments them as a person who can contemplate things and express their own opinions.
You can use other variations can be like:
“You like to look at things differently.”
“It seems you’ve been thinking deeply about this.”
“You have a deep perspective on things.”
Why this kind of compliment can make people feel great:
- It doesn’t judge a person’s belief, opinions or convictions, making him feel respected.
- It makes people feel that their opinions really matter.
- It subtly encourages them to be positive, thus they are more likely to engage in constructive and friendly conversation.
Summary: Use this compliment in many very situations like conversations and debate to make people feel that their opinions are important, and make them more open-minded, thus putting everyone in a positive mindset!
Appearance and Personality
Everybody likes to feel attractive in some ways. It’s a great feeling when people view our qualities and traits as attractive. Use this compliment to elicit this “feel good” feeling in others.
“You really project positive energy!”
The term “positive energy” is, indeed, really positive because it can refer to anything in general. It can be about a person’s physical appearance or her mannerism. It can be about how she dresses or how she talks. This compliment is general enough as not to be too direct in certain situations that may make someone uncomfortable (for example, a man complimenting a woman’s physical looks).
Other variations you can use:
“I like your positive energy!”
“Your positive energy can really light up a room!”
“You are full of positive energy!”
Why this kind of compliment can make people feel great:
- It makes a person feel genuinely good about herself, knowing others see her as attractive in some ways.
- It boosts a person’s ego and raises his general outlook about himself, building self-confidence.
- It’s a self-fulfilling compliment, because one feels positive if others tell you that you are positive!
Summary: Use this to compliment people’s appearance, traits or personality, and watch them perk up, feel great and become positive. It’s like a “feel good” drug!
A Genuine Gift
If you see something positive about someone, make sure to genuinely and confidently let them know, even a stranger on the street or the bus. Give the gifts of genuine compliments. It’s another way of spreading joy and positivity to the world. Giving a compliment to someone, in itself, is a compliment to yourself, as it shows the beautiful person that you are – a person who wants to see people happy just because they should be!
