An Authentic Compliment Can Do More Than Make Someone’s Day

Did you know that giving someone a genuine authentic compliment can have a massively powerful effect? It is actually scientifically proven that people feel happier and more flattered than expected after receiving a compliment. Even more than that is people who give that authentic compliment also report being in a better mood after showing that kindness to someone.

There is nothing wrong with a general compliment at all, it is nice to receive any kind of compliment! However it is just that…nice. When those compliments are authentic, real and come from a place that you can feel it is special to you…that is a game changer.

Yesterday I was in college and we were working through group exercises in pairs, we had changed it up and gone with new partners towards the end of the day. At the end of our discussion in pairs, my new classmate shared something which I have no doubt I am going to carry around with pride.

She told me that I have really kind eyes, a really kind smile, that I listen attentively and that I have a good big presence. She told me that I am going to be “shit hot” at therapy.

Now, that is the first time I have been given a compliment like that. I knew straight away that it was genuine and pure. There was no hidden agenda, there was nothing hiding in the middle of the lines. It was a compliment which carried weight, it was authentic and loaded with care.

Funny enough, it is something I have privately wondered about. People have been open with me in the past and they have shared in the past. However I have always wondered what kind of energy I give off, what kind of presence I create around me. At one stage in my life I felt invisible and that was a strong feeling. That is something I have battled and struggled many times to shake off, I feel lost and alone — unseen and hidden in the shadows.

To actually hear from someone in such an amazing authentic way that I do create a big good positive presence and that I am a pleasure to talk to — that is a massive boost and has given me renewed energy and confidence. It did more than make my day, it made me feel like I could let my voice be heard more and that I can stand up that little bit more upright.

The power of words is incredible. That support, praise and feeling valued when I have felt invisible at times in the past, that is incredibly powerful. It has made me feel even more strongly about being on this course and the career path I want to head towards in the future. It feels like a gigantic part of the jigsaw puzzle and confirms in my mind, “yes, this is right. This is what I should be doing, this is for me.”

Hearing those words for the first time, that was a special feeling. That was something which made me well up hearing. I have no doubt that we don’t pass on compliments to each other nearly as much as we all should do. The feeling you get when you receive those words and you know that person really means it — that is an incredible high.