Compliments can get you into trouble! Plus, read about a unique way to rejuvenate your enthusiasm on a work day. Another way of doing that would be to have an ecard dashboard to exchange pleasantries. Hop in…

A compliment can open doors for you. That’s what we have picked up from unreliable sources over the years. It works more often than not so we have taken it to be a truth about life. Like every other truth in life, the connotations of compliments have changed as well. You can no longer get away with shallow, sugar-coated compliments even if the receiver is close to you. You are bound to get a satirical retort. Sometimes an insincere compliment can tarnish your relationship for good. You can never realize how deep an off-color compliment can cut into. Steve learnt his lesson when he had a Birthday Reminder Service on and threw a party for a close friend.

Steve wrote short message for all the invites he sent out. The compliments were mainly related to certain general aspects that no one could contend as unflattering. But, as you readers know, Steve is not really a very sociable person. Though his intent was right, he ended up writing very generalized compliments for people who are really close to him. As a result, a few of them have taken offense that Steve couldn’t come up with something more personal and specific. Irina grumbled to me, “He didn’t mention once how I dress up! That’s a shame!”. To a fashionista, it really is! Steve, what were you thinking!

Whoever taught Ryan that chocolate drives away Monday morning blues must have been joking. Ryan isn’t someone who’s down or depressed at any point of time, let alone Monday mornings. But lately Ryan is having a dry season on the dating front. Ask anyone in the office and you will know that Ryan has sent out strong feelers to them that he’s looking for someone special. “The sooner, the better,” Ryan added on every request he made. Meanwhile, someone asked him to have plenty of chocolate to drive the blues away. Ryan took it real seriously!

Our boss had called for a meeting last Monday. We were ready with our reports and charts. The meeting started off well. When it was time for Ryan to present his report, he circulated a paper around the table. There was a pie-chart that was actually the image of a round chocolate cake! The slices were percentiles. It was visually arresting and the very sight of chocolate worked like a spark. There were excited murmurs among colleagues though I felt that the boss was not much amused. The jury is out whether chocolate can actually de-stress but the chocolate cake report surely did wonders for our spirits!

If you want to boost up your sagging soul, you need not do something as drastic! Just send invites to your friends for a little after-work drink session. Track RSVPs and conduct a small, but exciting get-together that keeps your morale high for the entire week.

Kate has a very typical problem on her hands. Her would-be husband, Henry, isn’t available for talks and discussions when Kate wants them. “It’s incredibly difficult to pin him down for a discussion,” Kate complained to Megan. Henry comes back late from work while Kate is home all day as she works freelance. Because Kate is handling the household as well, there are a ton of things that she feels the need to be discussed with Henry. Payments and investments also feature on Kate’s agenda. But Henry just doesn’t feel enthusiastic about talking it out.

Megan, always the wise one, had some tips for a distraught Kate. Megan quizzed Kate about their daily schedules before venturing out to offer any advice. You do expect that kind of professionalism from Megan even when she’s bailing a close friend out! “Don’t start talking to him the moment he comes home,” Megan told Kate, “Let him settle down. Also before you speak, make sure that both of you are digitally isolated. No phone calls, no emails.” Kate warmed up to the idea immediately. She implemented them and I heard that Megan’s words have paid off.

“Kong is probably growing old!” Adrian said and tossed a treat to a barking Kong. Yes, that’s the conclusion that Adrian has come to after putting up with his now daily habit of barking incessantly. As soon as Adrian and I leave for work, Kong is heard barking away. Even when we are at home, there are frequent bouts of continued yelling. The generally placid friend of ours is now violent suddenly. I spoke to a colleague, a keen pet enthusiast, about this. “Kong is facing anxiety attacks,” I was told. I was also instructed to visit a behaviorist at the earliest.

Adrian and I hardly got any sleep because of Kong’s shouts. The slightest disturbance in the neighborhood woke up our sentinel. Adrian lost his cool at times and yelled back! That seemed to encourage Kong and he shouted with renewed vigor. I explained to Adrian that he must not do that. “Kong feels that you’re joining in with him in the yelling game!” is what I told a stupefied Adrian. Finally help came in the form of Eleanor. “It’s such a petty issue,” the venerable lady told us and advised to throw in a treat and soothe Kong during these attacks. It’s working big time for us!

Here’s a Joyce Brothers quote that Irina can find solace from: “Being taken for granted can be a compliment. It means that you’ve become a comfortable, trusted element in another person’s life.”