397 I See The Greatness In People | February 2018 Thursday Week 1_

Thoughtful Thursdays-#398 February 1st The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I See The Greatness In People

"I am suggesting that as we go through life, we 'accentuate the positive.' I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment and endorse virtue and effort."

~Gordon B. Hinckley

A good friend of mine would always get mad at me when I would compliment her. Well maybe mad is overstating it. When I'd tell her how awesome she was, and all the great things she was doing she would brush it off and say that's your job to be nice to people. And I don't ever remember any chapters in my study manuals about kindness or complimenting as a requirement.

So I would stop her right there and say, it's not my job to be nice to people. That has nothing to do with what I do…those jobs are about helping people. I compliment people because I like to notice the great things in people. I like to let those people know they're seen whether they have a cool tie on that I like, or a nice outfit that's pretty, or that they did something really great.

And so people can come to the wrong conclusion about what I do. They think that because I compliment a lot of people that I don't put thought into how I'm complimenting them. They think it takes the "specialness" and the sincerity out of it.

And what a crazy way to think—that if you compliment too many people…then it must not be true. For me, I want to find a way to see the greatness in people. I want to find a way to let people know about their significance in life because we either don't realize how amazing we are, or we have been beaten down too many times that we need someone to renergize and remind us again who we are at our core.

So question: what if you were to take a different approach to your life by being a greatness detective? What if you were to trurn your eyes from being in autopilol and eternal critic mode finding fault in things, you were instead to purposefully look for the amazing things in the people around you. What if you noticed the small changes you liked and let people you noticed when they got a haircut, or the nice dress they wore today, or that colorful tie that caught your eye, or those small habits that they utilize in their life that impress you? What if you were looking for ways to help people shine more by making them feel better about themselves?

What do you think that would do to the world if we all practiced that a little more?

For me, my complimenting is an active way to be awake. It is a way to look for the great things instead of always trying to focus on what can darken and cloudy my life. And I compliment so much because I want to be this way all the time, not just when I feel happy or good about things sometimes…but that I choose to find the good so I create more good.

Maybe we've become a society that's so disconnected that we're scared and embarrassed in talking to strangers, or letting acquaintances or even loved ones…that there's something awesome about them. Which says to me it's not about them anymore, it's more about us not wanting to look foolish. It's about us scared to put ourselves out there in being kind to people because maybe it might feel a little awkward. But why should it feel awkward to give a compliment?

I like to think that maybe it's a little deeper than being disconnected. The definition of candor is "the quality of being open and honest in expression." And maybe it's why sincere compliments scare us, it's a vulnerability. And I think since people think that I give a lot of compliments or I look for reasons to compliment people that I'm not being sincere, or that I'm using cookie cutter compliments. And I think to live our lives with a certain amount of candor we must learn to be creative.

So if we are to give compliments, we need to be creative in looking at seeing people in new ways, and we need to be open to saying what we truly like about someone without fear of looking or feeling silly for letting them know about the things we appreciate in them.

But knowing how to compliment is only half the battle if we don't know why we are complimenting. Everyone may have their own reasons for complementing, but for me it's about making people feel good, it's about projecting a better energy into the world, it's about noticing people, it's about challenging myself to see more in this world, and it makes me feel good to make others feel good.

I believe a better question to ask ourselves "why are we doing something," is to look at the opposite side and ask, "why wouldn't we do it?" Making people feel good is a craft that's been forgotten about. We've gotten so lost in our own worlds thinking about all that's going wrong with us, that we forget that other people are struggling like we are. And when we only focus upon all the problems that are in our world…we tend to surround ourselves with a heavier cloud. We stop being creative in finding the good in the world as we get caught in what's wrong with our personal world.

Maybe I'm a little different, but I hope you feel the same way as me. I want to live in a world where people sincerely compliment each other, where people aren't afraid to say what's great about another person, where people look for reasons to make another person feel good, where people look deeper to see more beauty in this world, and where we truly try to connect with people by lifting them up rather than breaking them down.

Candor, and sincerity in our compliments will do one thing—it will make this world a better place. It feels good to be complimented, so why wouldn't we want other people to feel good? When people feel good around us, the energy is changed around us. So I hope you find more ways to compliment people creatively and sincerely, and I hope you continually compliment and love yourself like you deserve. Compliments all begin from within, and the more we love ourselves, then the more we see the great things about ourselves. And when we see more greatness within ourselves then the more we will see the great things in others and in this world

Today's Personal Commitment:
Go out of your way to compliment someone today. Don't say a a scripted compliment either. Look for the things that stick out that you like within someone and let that person know something looks good on them, or what a good job they did on that presentation in the meeting the other day, or how you like their energy and you appreciate all the great things they bring to the office by being themselves

There's nothing weird or awkward about complimenting someone, unless you decide it's weird. So the next time you compliment someone, instead of thinking about it as an extension of you and you forcing something…think of it as a natural part of you. Think of yourself as a great skills and characteristic detective letting people know they are noticed and the great things about them are appreciated. What could it hurt? It might just change everything about how you operate your life…in a great way.

I See The Greatness In People

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: chris@strongwithin.com phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide