☀️ The Nicole Magnusson Newsletter

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📆 Daily Issue 12 | ⏱️ Read time: 2 min

Compliment Chronicles: How a Simple ‘You’re Pretty’ Sparked a Revolution of Self-Discovery

For the first time in a while, someone called me pretty yesterday.

It was online, but still, it happened.

I recorded a joking TikTok video along with an audio that said, “you’re pretty… well, pretty annoying”.

A man commented on the video, “you are pretty, period”.

I got chills when I read it.

I needed that.

My spirit needed that. A genuine compliment from a man who was not creepy or trying to get something from me.

It wasn’t just about my looks (it never is)… in that moment I needed to feel seen and appreciated. I needed to feel like I mattered.

It's hard to wake up every day and keep working towards our goals. Heck, sometimes it can be hard to wake up at all.

When we run into challenges, thoughts can creep in,

Why do I bother?

A small compliment like that, that took him 5 seconds to type, helps me remember:

We bother because something inside us cares so much more deeply than we are willing to admit.

We bother because our purpose is to bring people out of the darkness and towards the light.

We bother because our community, however big or small, needs us.

I made two decisions after receiving this compliment:

1. I am going to keep a list of heart-centered compliments and encouragement.

2. I am going to set an intention to compliment others more.

Having a central resource of compliments reminds you of your TRUE nature.

I am personally someone who runs best on positivity. I do my best work when I have positive reinforcement, a team of cheerleaders, and the sun is beaming down on me.

With the right fuel source, we can be empowered to do anything.

It's so easy to see the negative in each other and ourselves. And we need to continually fight off that negativity every single day.

Every single morning we decide again:

Which wolf will we feed?

Which neural pathways will we strengthen?

Which version of ourselves will we bring to life?

We were never meant to do it alone. And in the moments when life loses all its color and our internal resources are tapped, that’s when we need to connect with others.

We can feel it in our bones when a compliment is sincere and from the heart. And it's giving and receiving THESE compliments that will carry us through to the other side.

I believe in you. And I’m not the only one. Never, ever forget that.

Keep inspiring,

Nicole