The Neglected Art of Compliments - January 27, 2013

Book stores, pharmacies, and watering holes are full of products aimed at helping us feel better about life, but last night, I received a spirit-boosting gift that can’t even be seen, cost the giver nothing, and is still putting a smile on my face– a compliment.

The compliment, itself, isn’t important. What is important is that the person took the time out of her busy schedule to share a few kind words and acknowledge something I had done.

I’ll bet the e-mail she composed took less than five minutes, but the effects are still resonating. Immediately afterward, I felt a shot of adrenaline and slept peacefully throughout the night.

This morning, still in high spirits, I was moved to send a compliment along to another friend and to write this post, all because of the unexpected gift I received last night.

When I met my friend Umit in Turkey, she always stressed the importance of cultivating and surrounding oneself with positive energy because it leads to more positive energy and more positive outcomes in life, just as negativity tends to attract more negativity and more negative outcomes in life.

Sincere compliments are such an easy way to spread positive energy, and can mean so much to both the giver and receiver, but daily we tend to let the opportunities to distribute them pass by.

Maybe, part of the solution to our angst lies in the often forgotten compliment. 

Death is Waiting - January 6, 2013

We spend most of our lives trying not to think about it, but the unfortunate reality is that none of us can avoid death. Last week, I had a personal reminder that sometimes it comes a lot sooner than expected.

We can cease to exist at any moment, but we tend to act as though death is something that can be controlled, an event that can be put off indefinitely. How else can one explain the manner in which we utilize our precious, ever dwindling seconds on earth.

Instead of focusing on our dreams, we often settle for what’s comfortable or focus on what the world says is important like acquiring possessions. I speak from experience when I say that after you’re gone your loved ones with sort through those seemingly important possessions and throw a lot of them in the trash.

Rather than vowing to lose weight or watch less television, maybe our New Year’s resolution in 2013 should be to live more, to figure out our passions in life, to dust off our dreams and pursue them with gusto.

Death is waiting, and it could be waiting just around the corner. Why not start living now.