Afer navigating the professional / business world over the last decade, I’ve come to realize that in general, people are nice.
I’ve made lots and lots of acquaintances, who have helped me in many ways. 99% of people want to do the right thing when given a choice. It doesn’t mean they’ll go out of their way and take personal losses to help you, but they’ll be polite and respectful even if they’re acting selfishly.
But I’ve also learned that quite a few people you’ll meet, including many in prominent, successful positions, are not nice. By which I mean, they’re downright horrible human beings that make you sick to your stomach. You’ll come across them once in a while, and you’ll want to stay clear of them.
Being a good human (or rather, not being a shitty human) is not a pre-requisite to being successful in our chosen endeavours in life.
What matters, is doing the work that’s required and giving people what they want. As long as we help other people get what they want, they’ll try to work with us.
I can recall many times in my life when I was overly nice to people because I felt like I had to be.
So if you’re a “nice guy/gal”, be so because you choose to, not because you feel an obligation to. And wear it with pride.
