Nice does not = Weak

I am frequently amazed at the number of people who believe that just because a person is nice it means they are weak.  Weak meaning she can be taken advantage of, manipulated, taken for granted, or used.  Nice is not the equivalent to stupidity, or slowness, but that is apparently how some view nice people.

I have noticed this most within the workplace.  If you are nice, others believe they can stab you in the back, walk all over you, take credit for your ideas, malign you, and in general, just dump all over you.  Because if you are nice, it must mean that you are not interested in getting ahead, learning new skills, or wanting more for yourself.  Nope, if you are nice, then by all means, when I partner and collaborate with you, use the information to your advantage and then throw me under a Greyhound.

I don’t think the very old saying “the meek shall inherit the earth” is for naught.  There is a reason niceness pays. Not to get things, mind you, but to gain things such as love, peace, happiness, and contentment.  The persons who I coach the longest tend to be those who have deeply hurt others in the name of success and can no longer ignore their soul to do so.