Whose Day Are You Going to Brighten Today?

- BY NEHA

“Be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody”

–      Unknown

We witness and experience immense beauty around us everyday - beautiful people, beautiful landscape, beautiful gestures, beautiful words, beautiful pictures. While expressing appreciation or paying someone a compliment comes naturally to some of us, certain people find it hard to do so – may be because they are shy, reserved, indifferent or envious.

In one of my earlier blog posts ‘Let Go Of Fear and Do What You Love’, I had written, “It is true that we all live in a society comprising of several people. As part of a society, we are all inter-dependent on one another in some way or the other that benefits each one of us. No one wants to live alone, isolated from the rest, forever.” Our interactions with other people (family, friends, coworkers, acquaintances and strangers) are what make life so utterly wonderful. Think of all the myriad times you felt truly happy and blessed. I bet it involved other people – perhaps it was a celebration of some kind, a heart-to-heart chat with someone, holding the hand of someone special, receiving a warm hug, leaning on someone’s shoulder or being congratulated by friends & family for an achievement.

Our associations and interface with others is what inspires us most. Given how significant an impact other people have on our lives, isn’t it worthwhile to appreciate them. Mind you, the appreciation I am talking about here is the genuine kind, one that you actually mean and feel.

How great it feels when someone compliments us or appreciates us for a job well done. Think of the exhilarating rush you felt when you were applauded for something or received recognition and praise from your co-workers.

When I see something nice, I say so. No matter what it may be, if it captures my attention in a pleasant way, even for a wee bit, I consider it worthwhile to express my appreciation for it. Just the other day, I was waiting at the cash counter of a store with my friend. The lady attending to us had a charming smile. Had I seen an even more charming smile before? Of course! Did that make her smile not worth appreciating? Of course not! As a matter of fact, the person she attended to just before me had given her a tough time. So when I complimented her on her smile, she was pleasantly taken aback and her mood uplifted right away.

All of us have the ability to make every person we meet feel special, but how many of us actually take advantage of that ability?

If what goes around does indeed come around, then by appreciating others you’re actually sending out positivity that will all come back to you some day.