N.I.C.E.

NATIONAL INCENTIVE TO COMPLIMENT EVERYONE

A program to promote giving more compliments to those around us.

Behavioral scientists point to the high value that compliments have in engendering personal growth and maintaining good emotional health.

"Compliments will lift a person's spirits", according to William Morrow, a licensed marriage counselor in Cape Coral, Fl.. For this imagery the Cape Coral Human Services Network has chosen the hot air balloon as a symbol of the N.I.C.E. movement.

If you've ever seen the effect criticism has on the person receiving it, you'll know the equal and opposite effect that compliments have. Criticism, instead of making people sharpen up their act, frequently plays into the already built-in negative images that people have of themselves. Criticism focuses on a downward spiraling viewpoint. It can be a cause of depression, especially where a person becomes hypercritical of himself or herself.

So what better way to lift someone's spirits than to give an honest compliment when it is a genuine comment on something they've done well? Giving someone a compliment is an act of love. It's a caring way to touch their sense of self worth. It restores the soul. A good example of compliment giving, is to notice the positive aspects of a person's struggle, say to perform a task. If your spouse is trying to get that furniture refinishing project completed, you can lighten the task by saying for instance, "I noticed what a good job you did on that drawer, it must have been pretty hard to get in all of those little grooves."

Teen-agers are just in the process of getting through the stresses and strains of adolescence, often feel awkward, shy, or lacking in self-confidence. Yet at the same time they may have a distinct skill or talent that shows up at home or at school. There's usually something you can discover about them that is praise-worthy since they want so much to show the world around them that they are preparing to enter the adult world of responsibility, strength, and capability. What comes in isolated flashes of commendable performance at first, becomes greater and more a part of them as it is noticed and commented on. A compliment actually helps them grow.

Anyone can be a part of the campaign to promote the the wider use of compliments. Using the symbol of the hot-air balloon and the slogan "Lift Someone's Spirit", the campaign achieved citywide participation. The acronym chosen for this venture is N.I.C.E., the National Incentive to Compliment Everyone. Remember an honest compliment is no "hot air", it is a true act of love.