Compliment vs Criticism

"We remember a compliment for about three and a half days, but we hold on to a criticism for months."
I read this quote yesterday and it had stayed with me. I have always said that human nature is slow to compliment and quick to criticize. To think that our words can be such a force in someone else's life is kind of scary.
My five year old granddaughter has the BEST self esteem. If you tell her she looks beautiful she says, "I know." If you tell a 15 year old she looks nice, she would probably say her hair wasn't right, she wished she weighed less, the dress is old, and on and on... What happens to us between five and fifteen? We slowly let go of loving ourselves so much. I often brush off people's compliments when a simple "thank you" is the appropriate response.
I challenge you to pay a compliment to three people you meet in your day. It has to be genuine because a fake compliment is worthless. Think of the simple joy you can give and it costs you nothing. I bet it comes back to you tenfold.