Do you know that March 1 is celebrated as World Compliment Day? Great job for recognizing our basic need for appreciation.
Missed it last Friday? Mark your calendar for next year. While you are at it, why not also take a moment to show self appreciation for the fascinating thesis chapter you have been writing for the last two months or the lab report you have been working on in the ten days or so? It is so close to completion. You attended the Dissertation Boot Camp during the Reading Week, and your work reads well. How about the marking you completed last weekend? That, too, was a terrific job. You provided accurate feedback in the most efficient way. You are fascinating.
Is it “compliment” or “complement” asks my Google Doc? “Don’t let the IA-assisted autocorrect feature fool you!” says The English teacher in me. You compliment someone when you make a remark that shows your admiration of something they do. For example, you may compliment your friend on their publication of a new article or simply on their healthy appearance –no signs of sleep deprivation would count–at the lab today. Wouldn’t it be terrific if you complemented your kind and sincere motivation-boosting gesture with ‘infamous’ tri-colour cookies? Go ahead and treat yourself and your colleague to Queen's Spirit Q Cookies and a cup of coffee/tea at Mackintosh-Corry Hall.
A little bit of history may help us etch World Compliment Day on our minds, I think. According to reporter Dean Laberge, the initiative originated in the Netherlands in 2001. Hans Poortvliet proposed it as “the Most Positive Day in the World.” They said: “A sincere and personal compliment costs nothing, but the impact on the recipient is huge.” I couldn’t agree more. Few other free things stimulate me as much. A genuine praise boosts my productivity.
Let’s give at least two personalized compliments to those in our social network today, while still not too late. Here is one from me for my own thesis:
You might say, “That was not a true compliment?” Well, it is a ‘future’ compliment. I am praising my thesis to energise its completion in the coming months. I am willing it to emerge.
Are you questioning my pick of the date, too? Don’t! Compliment Day on January 24 is a cousin holiday. Plus, no one would be hurt if we had another great opportunity to say something positive about the people around us. Why not use it more often?
Everyone deserves some appreciation. It is easy to notice something positive about someone. How nice of you to visit our blog today. You are an inquisitive person. I like how your brain is drifting to your research at the mom.en.t. …