Be Nice

I read this and loved it, so I had to share it. Kind of "soap box-ish" but I'm allowed once in a while!

When you approach a business to ask about something that you've asked about before, do you say "I spoke with that elderly lady over there."?

Can she hear you? If so, why not make her day? Why not say "I spoke with that nice lady over there."?

When you need to describe someone, do you go for the obvious? That fat man that sits up there. That skinny broad that answers the phone. That toothpick who sits in the first row.

Why? It's not fun to be pointed out like that.

Why not start making other people feel good. If you always look at a person, whether he or she is a stranger to you or not, as though they were a friend, you will have a friend. You know why? Because *What goes around, comes around.*

Let's look at it a different way. What if you went to a place of business and there was a lady there *pushing forty* -- and all the others working with her are all under thirty. Way under thirty. She's recovering from cancer. It was a beautiful day, she is wearing her favorite red silk blouse everyone says she looks terrific in, and she's feeling better than she has in a month! Then, you come in and single her out as that *older* lady? Now, she has something negative to focus on.

How about if someone weighs 200 pounds, he or she just had a successful week after losing ten pounds, and you come in and point him or her out as the fat person sitting over there?

What about the guy who has recovered from polio and walks with crutches. He's had a long hard grind, but he did it, he pulled through. Then, you come in the cafeteria and see *That gimpy guy with the crutches.* Wouldn't it be nice to go out of your way to find something great about him?

Get past the obvious immediately. Think of all the positive things you can. Literally take all the bad, awkward, or negative things, and in your mind, write them on a banner, then visualize that banner going into a garbage disposal. Now, take all the good things and write them on a banner. Make that list bigger and brighter. From now on when you think of that person, you'll see in your mind's eye the big, bright list.
Pass this on. Help others who's first tendency it is to label, which in turn promotes criticizing. Lots of people don't think about the injustice of labeling. Lots of people don't even realize they are labeling. Is that you? If so, you've just learned how to stop it.