Friday 3 July 2015

Let's Give Being Nice A Go

I have a hair appointment tomorrow and I’m already looking forward to it. Not even the fact that it will come at the end of a long work day can dampen my spirits. You see I believe that I have the perfect hair stylist and not just because he makes me look presentable. He is witty, charming and spending time with him is a hoot. If it wasn't for the fact that he is so bloody expensive, it would be the perfect relationship.

I have a similar relationship with the glamorous women who man the cosmetic counters in department stores. (Everywhere that is except for New York, where they are so Gung ho they put the fear of God into me). As far as I’m concerned, it’s worth the price of a lipstick or two to be flattered and charmed for the ten minutes (okay I'm a sucker, it's probably more like two) that it takes for me to part with my credit card. 

It would seem then that we have a lot to learn from these professions. I'm sure I’m not the only person in the world who responds well to being treated courteously and with liberal amounts of soft soap. If we were to all go about our daily business and dealings with others, putting in the same effort that we might if we were angling for a hefty tip, how much more smoothly would life tick along? It would reduce conflict and I would hazard a guess our chances of getting our own way would increase tenfold at the very least!

Is life ever that simple, however? I’m sure we’ve all been on those hideous courses, where we are told to always use people's names and maintain eye contact or mimic their body language. Frankly all those things just make me want to stab someone through the eye with a pen. The minute someone starts using my name at the end of every sentence, my skin begins to crawl. 

It's not enough to trot out a range of techniques devised by some guru or other to make other people feel good. The trick is in actually liking people and taking time out to acknowledge them. My hair stylist is a people person. I'm sure that there are days when his smile is more forced than others but mostly he is a happy, genuinely sociable person, who enjoys being with people. I am guessing that most of those beauty consultants in department stores are probably the same way too. 

I’m going to give it a go and try for twenty four hours to smile warmly at my fellow man and maybe even toss out a compliment or two. For twenty four hours I’m going to resist every urge to roll my eyes and sneer. As dear old Mr Morrissey once said;
"It's so easy to laugh it's so easy to hate but it takes guts to be gentle and kind."
For twenty four hours, I am going to be a nice person - I'll let you know how I get on.

6 comments:

  1. I absolutely agree! It costs nothing to be pleasant to people, and I love 'nice' people :)

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    1. So do I Pheonix and it always makes me feel so negative and toxic when I get caught up in unpleasantness ;D

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  2. It’s surprising how much better you feel when someone takes the time to be genuinely pleasant, even if they are on the other side of a counter.
    Can’t wait to see how you get on :-D

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    1. Ha ha - this is an old post Cathy so I can't remember that particular 24 hours. I do try to be nice though because as you say it's always worth the effort.

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    2. My other blog is playing up and generally not being very user friendly so I'm transferring my posts to this new blog. It seemed like a good idea at the time but it's a bit time consuming, Cathy :D

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