[Quick tip: I recommend YOU adopt the habit described in this article as a way of life – AND coach your kids to do the same.] Some of the most successful people in the world habitually acknowledge one another – even rivals! This happens in sports, entertainment, academics, business and other fields. In certain cases, competing parties go as far as cooperating to evolve better ways of doing what they do – a strategy called co-opetition (from cooperative competition).

The above means that even when you compete, you can still work together to achieve mutually beneficial progress in your areas of focus and interest.

Many of Us Forget How Important It Is to Recognise/Acknowledge Others

It takes little or nothing to tell someone “Well done…or that was great”. Yet many who should don’t.

We sometimes feel we cannot spare the time. In addition, a few of us let our egos get in the way. They fear that acknowledging others could make then appear less important or inferior.

That is why getting a facebook page “LIKED” by people, can take major doing. And it is what makes buying “facebook” page “LIKES” a “quietly important” past time for many

Exceptions Usually Occur Only In Relation to Celebrities, Close Friends and Loved Ones

When your favourite singer, best friend, or pouse wife puts up a facebook page, it’s likely you’ll instantly click LIKE.

Many other people will however be deserving of your acknowledgement. They could include professional colleagues, contemporaries…and even rivals.

I believe it takes a fully evolved and liberated mind, to formally recognise good work done by such persons, without worrying that we’ll look smaller as a result.

What Should You Do When You “See” Total Strangers Doing Great Things Worthy of Praise?

It’s easy to acknowledge people we already know. However, with the Internet bringing people – and their works – closer to us each day, we will inevitably  come across “strangers” doing great things too.

When that happens, I argue that nothing should stop us from acknowledging such persons – once we ascertain that they are who they say they are.

It is for this reason that I frequently Google new people I come across online doing things I find noteworthy. Once I get enough information to confirm their authenticity, I rarely hold back from letting them – and others in my social circle – know that I appreciate them.

Doing so costs me nothing more than some seconds to a few minutes. And yet I know – from being on the receiving end of such “feedback” – that it can boost his/her drive to continue adding value that way.

Unfortunately, many of us have become too conditioned by society, to do this. Instead, we are so focused on ourselves, and the things that matter to us.

Yet we keep expecting others to show interest in what we are doing! How ironic…and selfish.

Should they pay us attention, if we rarely pay them any? Not all. There’s no reason for them to!

Final Words; You Have to Give, In Order to Get

We have been repeatedly told that the favourite subject of people is themselves. That’s why to win them over, it’s best to get people talking about themselves while we do more listening.

In the same vein, If you want people to develop a liking for you, a smart way will be to offer them honest compliments when they do something you truly consider noteworthy.

Note that flattery has no place in what I propose here.

I refer instead to a situation in which you formally recognize useful works and contributions of others. In my case, I often give direct feedback to persons who impress me, in addition to announcing it to others in my social circle.  I do this both online, and in my daily interpersonal interactions.

A trip through my Facebook timeline and Twitter feeds will provide useful indication of what I mean.

For instance, over the past 12 months, I’ve actively shared news about Nigeria’s teenage blogging genius Bamidele Onibalusi, Patrick Meninga (the man who found fame by selling his blog for $200K) and others, whose achievements greatly impressed me.

Guess what? Even though I asked nothing in return, I’ve already been rewarded in many ways – by way of feedback, from them, and from others who came across what I wrote about them.

And that’s really how the world works. You have to give, if you want to get from others.

I did (and continue to do) that, without wanting any thing in return.

I did (and continue to do) that, to inspire others to achieve authentic success, by overcoming any challenges they encounter.

If you want to reap rewards similar to mine: Go and do likewise.