“One of the
secrets of life is that all that is really worth the doing is what we do for
others” Lewis Carroll
“That is a lovely top you wearing. It really suits your complexion,”
she said, and it made me smile, to which she counted with a gorgeous smile. The easiest way to get a smile from someone is to give them a compliment;
people love recognition and reassurance for what they are doing. Don’t you!!
When
someone smiles at us we automatically smile back, it’s a human reaction learnt
at birth. The main goal we all strive for in this world is to find happiness,
it’s why we do the things we love because in the end they bring us happiness.
If you love money when you get it you are happy, when you lose it you are sad.
If
you struggle with giving compliments it is simple because you have never
learned how to, now is the time to learn. So let’s have a look at how to give a
compliment!
First thing with giving a compliment is selecting what it is you
are going to compliment?
If it is someone you know, think of what they like;
What
are they always talking about?
Is there something about them you like?
Have they
changed something about their appearance lately?
Are they wearing something new?
Remember you are doing this for them not yourself.
“Even though
it is a path of a thousand miles you walk one step at a time, consider this
well.” Miyamoto Musashi
While in Sri Lanka I spent some of my free time from
surfing and writing, coaching beginners at Pelana West surf beach. In doing this I discovered that
there are two types of distinct approaches towards learning, firstly were people who could focus on the task at hand and then there were people who were disconcerted every time they made a mistake. I don’t need
to tell you which ones were the faster learners and the easy ones to coach.
It reminded me of the way I was
or sometimes still am, and I have to constantly remind myself, that there is absolutely nothing wrong in making a mistake
while learning something new. Let me say that again so you get it, ‘there is
absolutely nothing wrong in making a mistake while learning something new’. What also struck me was the amount of times the disconcerted people would apologise when they made a mistake.
If
you are one of the people who apologises, then this is something you need to
work on ceasing. For the simple reason that instead of concentrating your
attention on succeeding, you are worrying about failing and if your coach
expects an apology then it is time to get a new coach. Learning is about concentrating on
what you are doing, say to yourself if you make a mistake, ‘ OK, that’s what happened, this time I'm going to nail it’.
