World Compliment Day – 1 March
HISTORY OF WORLD COMPLIMENT DAY
After many successful celebrations of National Compliment Day, founder Hans Poortvliet from the Netherlands decided to turn it into World Compliment Day, dedicating a world-wide holiday to radiating positivity. March 1 is just about consciously reflecting on what someone in your community does well and letting them know they are sincerely appreciated for that. With a specific emphasis on showing appreciation through words instead of gifts, this holiday can be celebrated by anyone, anywhere. The reason being that a sincere personal compliment costs nothing, but has the potential to make an enormous impact.
Professional recognition is important, as Hans himself said, “Nothing stimulates more, gives more energy, makes people happier and, as far as business is concerned increases productivity and commitment faster than sincere appreciation. So why not use it a little bit more?” We couldn’t agree more!
Compliments are one of the ways in which we show solidarity, cooperation, friendliness, and goodwill. When such traits as individualism and hard work are culturally valued, being rewarded for your personal performance through the acknowledgment of others can be a very effective motivator. As it says on the World Compliment Day website: “If on March 1st every person pays at least three people in his/her environment or (social) network a genuine and sincere compliment we will definitely create the Most Positive Day in the World!”
But more than that, we should all remember the importance of making people feel appreciated, it is a natural human need to feel recognized, and no one should feel ashamed for wanting it. Receiving recognition feels amazing, and giving recognition is just as enjoyable, watching someone’s face light up after offering them a nice compliment is a full-on win-win.
But adults tend to feel like they don’t need to reward people even with just verbal praise if they are simply doing what’s expected of them. So too often we are left underappreciated and overworked in pursuit of that validation. Let’s end that tawdry tradition of untapped egos, we want everyone to feel good about themselves so the world might be a better place!
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