“Everything in any way beautiful has its beauty of itself, inherent and self-sufficient: praise is no part of it. At any rate, praise does not make anything better or worse.” – Marcus Aurelius

I do not typically begin a post with a quote from someone else. Some great advice I got in college: nobody can capture your thoughts or words better than you, only use the words of others to support your claims. Today is a bit different because I want you to reflect on the quote above. It is a chance to hear from a famous Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher. Many of his words relate to the present, and some may agree with me that the writing of his time had its own beauty… and it is often praised.

Do things and people deserve praise? Does it help change the circumstances of others or our own? I think the answer is yes. I also think philosophers, celebrities, colleagues, and people in general tend to contradict themselves. Marcus Aurelius also talked about appreciation and gratitude and their importance for living a fulfilling life. I do not disagree with his thoughts above, we should take pride in who we are and what we experience, triumph or failure. As we enjoy the holiday season I have a very simple message on this Monday morning: Give compliments. Give praise. Offer acceptance.

Compliments, praise, and acceptance. They all feel good. They typically accompany sincere feelings of appreciation. Sometimes they make our day and someone else’s day all at the same time. We can give them or receive them, and we should never misuse them. 

During the holiday season, we may witness more exchanges of kind acts and kind gifts. They come in many shapes and sizes and I hope they also come in the form of words and expressions. 

The greatest forms of acceptance and feeling good come from verbal and physical communication between people. Yes, if you end up on the right end of a Mercedes commercial and your significant other buys you the 2023 sedan in cherry red, you’ll feel pretty good. But there is no substitute for doing good for others and/or recognizing others for the good they are doing. Do you feel happy when given praise? Push past the embarrassment or polite responses and recognize the improved well-being that comes from making another person’s experiences positive and fun. Now understand that someone might enjoy doing that for you. The chain reaction could be astronomical. Give compliments. Give praise. Offer acceptance. Enjoy them all when they are returned to you. It might surprise you just how much these forms of sincere appreciation grow in size and frequency over time. 

No fancy stories this week, go and give the gift of praise and acceptance to others. Be confident in what you have to offer. Make it another great Monday.