Nice people are not the ones who can actually make a difference in the world. Here’s why.

What’s the first thought that comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘nice‘? It certainly has to be something pleasant and comfortable. In fact, this is the sole definition of what we usually mean by describing a thing as being nice.

Nevertheless, nice people just can’t do it! They can’t change the world.

At first, this might sound like a shocking statement, but it is backed by the notion that changing the world requires a level of courage, ambition and confidence.

Now, I’m not saying you should go ahead asserting your dominance in front of your mates, just to prove that you are about to change the world. Quite the opposite, in fact. Compassion and respect towards other people are at the core of the leaders we know and love.

However, simply being “nice” just isn’t going to cut it.

Nice is the Comfort Zone

Nice shouldn’t be something you strive towards. Be more compassionate. Be insightful, truthful and helpful to others. Be confident. But don’t be nice.

We tend to get cozy in the definition of being “nice” but we’re simply defining ourselves to be “the comfort zone” of people.

Nice people are the ones who avoid confrontation and submerse themselves in the opinions of others.

Can you be nice at the same time as you explain your reasoning why peace on this Earth is crucial? Or how your theory you have for the consciousness of people is the next big thing in science? Or how your invention is going to revolutionize the way we live?

Along the way towards changing the world, regardless of the way you do it, you are going to have to confront people. In one way or another, some people are not going to agree with you.

Being nice directly corresponds with your acceptance of someone else’s reality while being at the center of the Venn Diagram of the comfort zones of both of you.

Nice is nothing, but the lowest level of acceptance we can have towards a thing, place or a person. It is the in the ambient part of our comfort zone. It is neither too comfortable, nor challenging. It’s simply OK. And as far as I can tell, people who strive towards being “OK” can’t change the world.

Nice is not Nice when you want to Change the World

Changing the world means that you will have to get out of your comfort zone. However, it also means that you will have to confront ideas others may deem impossible.

Doing something that matters requires strength and courage. It requires dealing with the notion of expressing your uniqueness in a way that changes the world we live in.

The fact of the matter is, nice is simply not nice when you want to make a difference in the world. It’s awful! You are not going to make it happen if you stand around trying to please everybody, even if you ultimately end up changing their lives for the better.

Be respectful towards the opinions of other people, treat them the way you want to be treated and put yourself as much in the shoes of other people as possible.

However, don’t strive to be nice.

Strive to be something more than nice. Strive towards changing the world.


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This Post Has One Comment

  1. Don

    I quite agree. By and large, I’ve found truly nice people have no desire or intention to change the world anyway. Some of my personal heroes, Joan of Arc, Florence Nightingale, Emily Hobhouse to name a few, certainly didn’t use nice to accomplish what they did. I sure do like nice people though. Imagine life without any. You could say they they constantly change the world from something we wouldn’t want to something we do.

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