Recently, there has been a challenge that's been trending on Facebook- yes, the #ComplimentChallenge. Its this thing where you upload your status and ask people to drop a comment and you respond to the comment with a compliment. Some people termed this as "the most stupid thing I've seen in human mankind" but I thought that this would be a welcome change from all the hate in my life, and it was. But it also made me realise something very important.
Have we forgotten how to appreciate?
This world is changing, and changing fast and somewhere along the way we have forgotten some things that were never meant to be forgotten. And it's not only about appreciating others, we've even forgotten how to appreciate ourselves.
Ever since we were little, we've been told about the 'magic words'- thank you, I love you and sorry.
Someone would do something nice for us, and our parents would ask us, "Beta, what is the magic word?" and with utmost joy and satisfaction we'ed happily oblige and respond "THANK YOUUUUUU" which would then be followed by the laughter of all the adults in the room or a joint chorus of "Awwwwww".
We were kids then. We're adults now. And as adults, thank-you has become something that's just a formality.
Except, it's not.
Thank you is a way of appreciating a person for whatever nice thing they've done or said. You know what else is appreciating? - saying something nice or doing something nice for a person.
And we've successfully forgotten both.
I didn't know that the world was in dire need of true appreciation. When I uploaded my status on Facebook, I was surprised by the number of people who commented. And not just the number, I was even surprised by some people in general. Some were people I didn't even know or had ever met. All of these people just wanted to hear someone say something nice about them because apparently, that isn't the normal way of life. Why? Because-
We have built a world where putting others down in the race to come first has become more important than pushing each other to be the best we can and hence call everyone a winner.
When was the last time you did something nice for someone without expecting anything in return? When was the last time you complimented someone without a motive?
Ask yourself honestly. I'll admit, I certainly haven't done any of the things mentioned above in quite a while. And I feel quite sad about it.
They say that happiness is contagious. So is appreciation. And since happiness is a reaction to appreciation, it's safe to say that we'll all be a great deal happier if only we can start to appreciate.
Not just appreciate others, but also learn to accept appreciation for ourselves.
When I was in school, I had this habit of randomly complimenting people. And it wasn't just donkey praise. If I found something nice about them, I'd tell them. But the weird part was that sometimes, they would think I'm lying, or feel obligated to say something nice in return. One of my friends, Sanskriti Sharma was quite different though. Every time I'd compliment her, she would smile, blush and say "thanks". And you know what, it made me feel happy that in some way she's happy. (Sanskriti, if you're reading this, thank you for making me realise the importance of appreciating people.)
So ask yourself this- when was the last time you just accepted a compliment?
When was the last time that you didn't feel the need to contradict someone when they said "Hey, you look nice today"? When was the last time you didn't compare yourself with another when someone called you beautiful? When was the last time that someone said something nice and you just accepted it with open arms, with only a thank you for their kind words?
It's been a while hasn't it?
It's time we started to embrace our awesomeness, while also acknowledging and appreciating the awesomeness of others.
Go ahead, compliment someone. Watch them smile. Watch the smile come on your face as well. Feel the happiness, spread the love.
Oh, and if you didn't already know-
"Hello, you're lovely. Wont you tell me you name?" :)
Have we forgotten how to appreciate?
This world is changing, and changing fast and somewhere along the way we have forgotten some things that were never meant to be forgotten. And it's not only about appreciating others, we've even forgotten how to appreciate ourselves.
Ever since we were little, we've been told about the 'magic words'- thank you, I love you and sorry.
Someone would do something nice for us, and our parents would ask us, "Beta, what is the magic word?" and with utmost joy and satisfaction we'ed happily oblige and respond "THANK YOUUUUUU" which would then be followed by the laughter of all the adults in the room or a joint chorus of "Awwwwww".
We were kids then. We're adults now. And as adults, thank-you has become something that's just a formality.
Except, it's not.
Thank you is a way of appreciating a person for whatever nice thing they've done or said. You know what else is appreciating? - saying something nice or doing something nice for a person.
And we've successfully forgotten both.
I didn't know that the world was in dire need of true appreciation. When I uploaded my status on Facebook, I was surprised by the number of people who commented. And not just the number, I was even surprised by some people in general. Some were people I didn't even know or had ever met. All of these people just wanted to hear someone say something nice about them because apparently, that isn't the normal way of life. Why? Because-
We have built a world where putting others down in the race to come first has become more important than pushing each other to be the best we can and hence call everyone a winner.
When was the last time you did something nice for someone without expecting anything in return? When was the last time you complimented someone without a motive?
Ask yourself honestly. I'll admit, I certainly haven't done any of the things mentioned above in quite a while. And I feel quite sad about it.
They say that happiness is contagious. So is appreciation. And since happiness is a reaction to appreciation, it's safe to say that we'll all be a great deal happier if only we can start to appreciate.
Not just appreciate others, but also learn to accept appreciation for ourselves.
When I was in school, I had this habit of randomly complimenting people. And it wasn't just donkey praise. If I found something nice about them, I'd tell them. But the weird part was that sometimes, they would think I'm lying, or feel obligated to say something nice in return. One of my friends, Sanskriti Sharma was quite different though. Every time I'd compliment her, she would smile, blush and say "thanks". And you know what, it made me feel happy that in some way she's happy. (Sanskriti, if you're reading this, thank you for making me realise the importance of appreciating people.)
So ask yourself this- when was the last time you just accepted a compliment?
When was the last time that you didn't feel the need to contradict someone when they said "Hey, you look nice today"? When was the last time you didn't compare yourself with another when someone called you beautiful? When was the last time that someone said something nice and you just accepted it with open arms, with only a thank you for their kind words?
It's been a while hasn't it?
It's time we started to embrace our awesomeness, while also acknowledging and appreciating the awesomeness of others.
Go ahead, compliment someone. Watch them smile. Watch the smile come on your face as well. Feel the happiness, spread the love.
Oh, and if you didn't already know-
"Hello, you're lovely. Wont you tell me you name?" :)
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