BENEFITS OF BEING NICE
To
be nice means being kind, generous, agreeable, pleasant, respectable, friendly,
forgiving and tactful. It means going out of your way to treat others in the
way you want to be treated. Being nice also means doing kind acts. It means
volunteering, donating and pitching in to make your home, neighbourhood and
community a better place. It means offering yourself to a cause that you
believe to be worthful. This might be something big like saving the environment
or little like helping your spouse carry in the groceries. Nice is such small
word, but it has a big implications. It takes a little time and effort, but it
is all so incredibly worth it.
Here
are some ways that being nice is good for you.
Being
nice leads people to like you
It is much easier to like
someone that is nice. We all want friends that are kind, giving and
considerate. We want and need people in our lives that support us and
that will be there for us when we need them. The old saying, “Be a friend
to have a friend” really holds true and research shows that those with a
greater social network are often happier, healthier and more productive!
Kindness
promotes confidence and optimism
Doing kind acts and being
nice builds one’s confidence and optimism. It just makes us feel good
about ourselves when we do things for others. Giving of ourselves to
others builds up our positive self-image. It also gives us a sense of
hope. We feel more powerful and in control when we make a positive difference
in the life of another.
Niceness
makes you feel good about yourself
Haven’t you heard that it
is better to give than to receive?!? In fact, studies have shown that the
giver usually has a bigger boost in positive emotions than the receiver!
Being kind and nice really is good for you. It gives you that warm, fuzzy
feeling all over. Of course, these positive feelings carry over into all
areas of your life causing a general improvement in well-being. This
translates into feeling good about yourself. What a bonus!
People
will reciprocate in your time of need
From time-to-time, we all
face challenges, disappointments and losses in our lives. When you’ve
been nice to others during their struggles, it is more likely they will return
the favor during your time of need. This is just human nature. Most
of us feel really motivated to help those that have helped us. Stephen
Covey described this as the emotional bank account.
Doing
good deeds adds meaning and significance to your life
When you donate money to
further a good cause or volunteer your time to help build a house for an
underprivileged family or go visit a friend in the hospital, your life suddenly
becomes much more meaningful and significant. You are making this world a
slightly better place with your acts of kindness. This is valuable and it
makes us feel important which is something we all want.
Being
a volunteer can help you discover hidden talents
Volunteering is a great
way to be nice. It can also help you to uncover talents you didn’t know
you had. They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Well,
when you put yourself in a position to see the needs of others, you might rise
to the occasion and discover capabilities that you never knew you had.
This can be fun and exciting!
Being
a do-gooder relieves stress and guilt
Being nice and doing good
deeds is a less stressful way to live. It creates less conflict and
avoids feelings of guilt over bad behavior. In addition, the act of doing
something nice for another generates those great feelings that seem to trump
all that stress that we build up from daily living.
Helping
others will make you feel thankful and advantaged
When we engage in
assisting others in their time of need, we often walk away feeling better about
our situation. We naturally compare our lives to those that we are
helping. This comparison can leave you feeling more grateful for the life
you have. You’ll be able to see just how advantaged you are!
Being
nice fosters a greater sense of family and community
Your niceness will lead
you to meet all kinds of people and get involved in a plethora of worthwhile
activities. This builds a greater sense of togetherness. Even
within your own family unit, you can foster an increased sense of connectedness
and fondness toward one another by being extra thoughtful. Being nice has
a powerful effect!
Engaging
in generous acts distracts you from your own troubles
Doing nice things for
others can serve as a useful distraction from the the challenges you
face. If you are trying to quit a bad habit, then generously engage
yourself in helping others to keep your mind off of smoking or eating or biting
your nails. This is an excellent strategy that profits you and others!
