Give at least one compliment a day and make it a habit.

We all know how happy and kind Buddy the Elf is. He see's the good when sometimes it is not apparent to everyone else.

We’ve been talking a lot in our home about friendships and how to be nice to people. Complementing others, and offering a smile is something that will not only make the recipient happy, but it makes you feel good too.

We were talking about how to give a compliment to our girls, and one of them asked, but what if you don’t like what the person is wearing? How do you give them a compliment. It made me realize that my girls were simply complimenting other girls at school just on their outfits. It made me realize that they didn’t know how to complement in other areas. So I thought I would hop on here and give a quick list easy ways to look for the good and others so that you can drop a compliment, and make that a every day habit in your life.

• Giving a compliment on her how someone did something in class. Example "You gave a really good presentation and I liked listening to it."

• Give a compliment on the playground. Example "Thanks for including me in your game."

• Give a compliment to your teacher. Example "Thanks Miss Applegate for showing me how to do my math. You’re really good at helping you to understand."

• Give a compliment to your coach. Example "Thank you Mrs. Jill for helping me to learn how to put the saddle on correctly. You’re really good at teaching me how to ride horses."

• Give a compliment to a stranger. This can be someone who might just be in the same restaurant as you or the store. Give a compliment on a ladies outfit. You could also give a complement on someone’s smile. You could give a complement to the person that is working at the restaurant, or the cashier working at the store. You could simply say "Wow, you took my order really fast, thanks for that." Or how about "Thanks for being friendly while taking my order. I hope you have a good day."

Being kind to others is a life skill. You will need to use it daily to have good relationships in your life and to just be an overall happier person. Learn to make giving a compliment something that you do on a daily basis. It is one of those things that if you work to make it a habit, you will notice you’ll be doing it mmore frequently without even trying. I have yet to meet someone that has ever told me to not some thing nice to them because they don't like how it has made them feel. I have however heard people say many times, when I have failed to make that extra step in my day and to give them a shout out of gratitude or kindness, which then makes me feel bad for missing an opportunity to make them feel good.

I am no expert in this category. Talking about this with my kids has made me more aware of something that I need to work on as well. In life that happens. Sometimes you need those course corrections and kids are the ones who make you realize that. With the month of November upon us, I will challenge myself to give a complement to someone I know and someone I do not know every single day.

I challenge you to do the same. Start giving out compliments so that it becomes an easy second nature. Kindness is always a good idea, and complimenting others is something that will brighten their day. It takes a little work to make a good habit, but habits don’t form without putting in that little bit of effort each day. No one is perfect and life is all about becoming a better person each day no matter what your age. I might have been there, I might know that.

Xo,

Mama