Hey! It’s so NICE to see you again! What have you NICE folk been up to? I hope some really NICE stuff.

NICE weather…NICE shoes…NICE attitude…oooohh, that’s so NIIIIICE!

How many of you are stuck on the word NICE? Is NICE really so nice? And what makes you think that since you are inclined towards NICE, that that makes you a NICE person too?

Okay, that wasn’t very NICE!

According to the Oxford Dictionary, a couple of ways of defining the word ‘NICE’ is as follows:

i) pleasant OR attractive

ii) unpleasant OR not good

Wait a minute! Aren’t both the definitions contradicting in nature? How can NICE be pleasant and also unpleasant? Is this is a joke? Or is this just a flaw in the nature of the word NICE. Let’s take a closer look.

Now a ‘pleasant NICE’ would be, ‘Joe is such a nice and humble man’.

(Good old Joe, what a great guy!)

Now an ‘unpleasant NICE’ would be, ‘After all I did for you Joe, what a nice way to say thank you!’

(I told you Joe was a big jerk!)

Now since we’re living in a world filled with so much NICE, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that everyone around us thinks they’re NICE, and they expect us to be super NICE.

(Uhhh…where’s my NICE cape, and my matching NICE underwear?)

But then again, what are others doing, and how are they behaving that they think they deserve to be labeled as NICE? And what all is expected of us for us to be branded as NICE? Is there any set pattern for being NICE? Is NICE some logic that can be applied, or some puzzle that can be solved, or maybe some sweet scented perfume that can be sprayed on lavishly so that you’re all set to smell NICE and be NICE at the same time?

Unfortunately, NICE isn’t very nice in this respect. NICE is complicated, NICE is subjective, and NICE is highly publicized as well as deeply criticized.

My NICE may not be your NICE, and your NICE may not be his NICE, and his NICE may not be very NICE at all. So when humans are unable to make head or tail of this NICE, then who should be the judge of what’s NICE or not NICE? And if we all have adopted our own ways of being NICE, then who dare say that our NICE is not as NICE as their NICE?

Well, if this whole NICE subject has given you a NICE headache, I’d suggest that you just sit back, and go through some NICE points on being NICE without giving a DAMN!

1. Act Positive

If you’re revved up on positivity, then be NICE and spread it to others. Don’t let the moods of others drain you of your own high spirits. If you’re really NICE, you’ll give some of your own cheer without thinking twice.

2. Listen

Listen to others, and do it with an open mind and heart. Be NICE enough to let someone open up to you, and allow them the freedom to share what they want. It’s NICE to have someone to talk to when you know they’re really listening.

3. Help

Help someone if you can. It should never be a compulsion, but rather an expulsion of genuine NICENESS. Even simple acts like opening a door, or offering your seat, or saying a few kind words to someone is helping out. You don’t have to climb a mountain, or swim across an ocean to show that you’re NICE.

4. Give space

Every person lives and breathes in their individual space. It’s a right that gives them a feeling of freedom, and a sense of privacy. Being NICE is never overstepping into that private space. Being NICE is understanding that each person deserves to preserve that space just like you do.

5. Be honest

If you call yourself NICE, you won’t lie about things that matter. You’ll be NICE enough to display your honesty, and not act as a misguiding force in the lives of others. You’ll say it as it is without the fear of being labeled as rude or not NICE.

6. Let go

Let go of the pettiness, let go of the ego, let go of the hurt, let go of the things you can’t change, it’ll definitely make you feel NICE, and it’ll also make you a NICER person. Unburdening yourself is always beneficial. Who doesn’t like losing some weight.

7. Don’t judge

You may the queen of morality, or the king of dignity, but if you judge others, then you’re just a big jerk. Accepting others as they are, is the NICEST thing you can do. No one was born like you, or raised like you, or given the same circumstances in life. Every person is different, and deserves to be unique. Be NICE, and leave the judging to the contests.

There can never really be a wrong way of being NICE. Being NICE should be a choice that gives you pleasure before you pass it on to anyone else. There’s no point in trying to be NICE, and then being grumpy about it.

NICE is really all about feeling NICE, and then extending that NICE feeling towards others.

Let’s end this with a NICE rhyme…

If you’re NICE and you know it, clap your hands,

If you’re NICE and you know it, clap your hands,

If you’re NICE and you know it, then you really must show it,

If you’re NICE and you know it, clap your hands!!!

A couple of claps for this writer would be NICE too…