As I walked down the hall this morning, I saw a girl. I didn’t know very well but she was wearing a super cute, super well-put together outfit and while it was totally compliment-worthy, something in me hesitated. I instinctively kept my comment to myself for fear of sounding like a creeper, or worse, a butt-kisser. The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. What is so wrong about complimenting strangers?

I feel like we fail to truly understand the impact of our words and actions towards one another. Maybe my comment about that girl’s outfit could’ve totally turned her day around and sparked a series of random compliments, or maybe she would’ve been creeped out like I said. Maybe I’m just super sentimental and compliments don’t mean as much to other people as they do to me. Who knows?

There’s a common belief that we as teenagers should not buy into what others have to say about us. However, is an exception made to that “forget-what-people-say” mantra when they’re saying positive things? I think so. We fear judgment and search for praise and acceptance, especially during our teenage years. At this age I believe both males and females are at their most fragile and whether we like it or not, the opinions of our peers can make or break us. We live for positive comments.

It seems to me that it is our duty to build one another up as often as possible. This doesn’t include being a brown noser, though, because no one likes a try hard. However, if you notice something positive about someone, share it. You could just make their day.