Abraham Lincoln once began a letter by writing, "Everybody likes a compliment."

Can you recall times you have received a compliment? Think of the feelings you felt. Compliments build the bonds that hold together relationships. Receiving a complement makes a person feel noticed and important. Compliments make people happy.

When is the last time you gave someone a sincere compliment. It is easy to get so focused on our own lives, that we forget to notice those around us. It also takes confidence and good personal self-esteem to perceive good things about others and then to verbalize your observations. At first it can seem awkward, but it gets easier with practice.

I once had a sales class in college, and the professor paired us up in groups of two. He then asked each of us to offer a compliment about the other person. It seemed like a silly thing to do because I felt it would come across as insincere. However, I was surprised to find how nice the compliment still felt, and can remember it to this day, over 15 years later. It also introduced me to someone I didn't know, but became friends with because of this simple exercise.

A sincere compliment is always a welcome boost to someone's day, and you will find that as you notice good things about other people, you will also notice more good things about yourself!

Here are three easy steps to follow when giving a compliment.

First, be specific. Instead of saying you look nice today, say, "your necklace and earrings look great on you."

Next, explain what made you notice. For example, "it really brings out the color of your eyes."

And finally, use a follow up question such as, "were they a gift?"

As long as you are being sincere, than you can't go wrong. At a business seminar once, I got a great idea for remembering to give out daily compliments. Start the day with ten dimes in your left pocket. Every time you give a compliment take a dime out and put it in your right pocket. Try to get all ten dimes to your right pocket by the end of the day.

The people you compliment will remember and talk about your kindness long after you have forgotten the things you said, and your relationships and friendships will expand and have more depth, meaning, and happiness.

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