Be Nice Or I’ll Crop You Out Of My Photos

When I was a little girl, my grandmother used to tell me “Sugar, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” It is a true statement that being polite will get you further than being rude to people.

Today I ask you, what is your niceness factor? Are you pleasant to be around? Can you stand your own company, or are you miserable? Do you spend your day being critical of others? If so, how does all that misery and criticism make you feel? I cannot imagine it makes you feel very good.

I know a lot of people who judge, criticize and complain all day long. These people are not happy. My grandmother also used to tell me “When you point a finger at someone, three fingers are pointing right back at you.” External judgment has its roots from within. We are often critical of others over the things that we do not like about ourselves.

In the book “How To Win Friends And Influence People” written by Dale Carnegie, and published in 1936, Mr. Carnegie mentions a quote by Benjamin Franklin, “I will speak ill of no man, and speak all the good I know of everybody.” Then Mr. Carnegie goes on to state, “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain – and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.”

Anger begets anger, and love begets love. Today, I would like to encourage you to analyze whether you are being as nice to others as you possibly can, or if you are being overly critical. If you are being critical, where does that judgment stem from? Do you recognize in yourself the behavior you are condemning in others?

All I am asking you to do here is be aware of your thoughts, not to punish yourself for them. The next step after awareness is acceptance of where these thoughts come from. Beating yourself up over them is not going to benefit you. Instead, what will benefit you is a proactive decision to be a little nicer to others. In turn, you will end up being a little nicer to yourself, as most criticism stems from within.

Being nice to others feels better than being rude to people. Moreover, you will inspire others to be nice and loving. You will also attract more niceness and love into your life. Honey tastes much sweeter than vinegar. This is simply a much more pleasant way to live. Try it and see if it suits you.

Namaste,

~Amber