Compliment a Stranger

Haven't heard of the 30 Days of Kindness?  Click here to find out more.  Just starting?  That's okay!  Feel free to start this challenge right in the middle.  You can make up the days you missed through November, if you like.

Compliment a stranger.  I know, I know...  You're being forced to come out of your shell and reach out to all of these strangers.  The first four days of this challenge do revolve around communicating with strangers, but there is a purpose to this aspect of the 30 Days of Kindness.  Have you ever heard the story of a man called John Kevin Hines?  He actually jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge in a failed suicide attempt.  He said once in a conference, "If someone had smiled... I would not have jumped.  [A smile] could well save a life."

Have you ever felt completely down while going about your day, but when someone offered you a sincere smile, you felt like a burden had been lifted off your shoulders?  When you smile, greet, or compliment a stranger, you are brightening their day.  What if your smile helped to save a person's life?

When you compliment your stranger today, be sure to speak in a sincere voice and smile.  Compliment their hair, eyes, clothes...  Make them feel like you care.

I want to hear your stories!  If you have a picture already, feel free to send it to me.  If you're blogging about this day, send me the link and I'll feature it on this blog.

Stay tuned until later today to see what my friends and I did for today's act of kindness.

TOMORROW: Hug a stranger!

-------

Today's challenge was pretty simple, as it was a Sunday and Ali and I were at church.  We both were able to compliment people before the service even started!  I liked this challenge because it encouraged us to go out of our loop of church friends and greet somebody new.

I complimented a lady's necklace.  It made my day to see the look of gratitude come over her face when I let her know that I acknowledged how cute she looked and how I knew she had worked hard on her appearance for church.  I love the visible rise in self-confidence that comes over someone when you compliment their appearance.  I love to be complimented- it makes me feel good- so I know that other ladies like to be complimented as well.

Me: Ali, what happened with you today?

Ali: We went to church and we were getting coffee, and the lady behind us had a cute dress on, and I had never met her.  So I turned around I said hi... with a smile!  I complimented her dress, which was way cute.  She looked grateful that I complimented her dress, and I think it made her feel good.  It makes me feel good when people compliment me.

Me: And what did you learn from this experience?

Ali: I learned that you can make someone smile by complimenting them.  Everyone likes to feel good about something they do or wear, so I will try to compliment more people more often.

What did you learn today?  Do you have any fun stories?  Be sure to check out my YouTube channel to see more personalized stories of each day's experiences.