Recently I gave myself a challenge.

My goal?

To talk to as many strangers as possible and give them the gift of a compliment.

Research has shown that even if you feel completely awkward or cheesy, when someone hears a compliment (that you’ve given them), they are immediately a little bit happier.

So, I decided to overcome my feelings of insecurity and compliment something I noticed about the people around me.

I was able to compliment the coffee barista, and I do believe she made me the best iced coffee I’ve had in quite a while. I can’t say for sure, but I wonder if a compliment made her feel a little happier and possibly more confident in what she was doing? Who knows? I know it made me happy, and hopefully her too!

I had a discussion with a lady who was wearing a shirt that said “Louisiana.” I asked her how she liked it there and it led to a conversation that lasted a few minutes about travel and work trips. She was so nice!

My husband and I had a pleasant conversation with a neighbor as we took our morning walk. She was so friendly and willing to share about her life, and of course, her little doggy, Franklin loved the attention; I know we all left the scene feeling a bit happier.

An employee at Target offered me such a big smile, so I complimented how beautiful it was and somehow she was able to smile even bigger. That led us into a conversation about sunny days and sports that we enjoyed; she was so kind even while she worked.

I’ve been working on getting to know the names and a little bit about each of the people who work at my favorite restaurant. Today, at lunch, I was rewarded with a free queso; I know I definitely felt happier and I hope they did too!

Kindness is free, and we can never get too much of it! People are so open to it, even hungry for it. We need each other and we need the kindness that lifts our hearts and makes us feel like the very best version of ourselves.

Before the day was even half over, I felt sunny inside; I plan to challenge myself like this more often!

What if we all did?