“It is nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.” John Templeton
Absolutely. It is definitely more important to be nice than acclaimed.
Did you ever wonder if you are a nice person? Sometimes in the “dreaming time” of some solitary walks, I think about it.
To me, a nice person is somebody who treats you well when he/she doesn’t have to. The mark of a nice person is “gratuitous kindness”.
When you interface with a nice person, it makes you feel good all day and it encourages you to reciprocate.
Nice people are usually spontaneous. They act before thinking.
So again, are you a “nice” person?
To find out, ask yourself the following questions:
Are you helpful? Do you volunteer to help without being asked?
Are you accommodating? Are you willing to compromise to avoid deadlocks?
Are you kind? To people? Especially to animals?
Are you charitable? Do you empathize with people who ache?
Do you have a ready smile? Do people smile at you?
Are you polite? Do you usually say please, thank you, excuse me?
Are you trustworthy?
Well, what’s the verdict?
It is important to be nice for many reasons.
In life you reap what you sow. All your actions have consequences, repercussions. A bad deed is like a boomerang. Soon or later it will get back to you, often most unexpectedly and embarrassingly. Especially in our digital age.
What you do, what you say, what you write is often recorded and will come back to haunt you, even after a lengthy period of time.
A good attitude will open many doors. A bad one will close an even greater number of gates. It can ban you from many people and organizations. It will affect your personal and professional life. And even if you are a nice person, if you associate with an ill-mannered or difficult person, it will reflect on you.
“Be nice to people on your way up because you’ll meet them on your way down.” Wilson Mizner
Glory, fame, fortune are often ephemeral.
If you want a soft landing after reaching your apogee, it is vitally important to have a nice reputation. It will help you to smoothly reconnect with ordinary people.
Being nice doesn’t necessarily mean that you are weak. Don’t ever equate kindness with weakness; it could be a costly mistake.
“Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness. I am kind to everyone, but when someone is unkind to me, weak is not what you are going to remember about me.” Al Capone
And finally, if you are a nice person, people will say nice things about you while you are alive and not solely (out of politeness) at your funeral.
Be nice, it is good for your arteries.
Alain