WORK HARD AND BE NICE to people. That’s my answer when people ask me what I think the keys to success are. When people hear “work hard,” they usually respond with a solid head nod because obviously that makes sense. But when they hear “be nice to people,” they tend to tune me out. Is being nice really necessary when it comes to success? Does it even make a difference? After all, the world isn’t made up of fairies and pixie dust; it’s made up of cold hard facts. Successful people are the ones who are talented, work hard, and get things done.
Well, first of all, the world has a high percentage of fairies and pixie dust, so watch your language. And second of all, if you want to talk about cold hard facts, let me give you three reasons why it’s essential to be nice to people if you want to be a successful person.
“NOT BEING NICE IS LIKE POISONING YOURSELF WITH BAD VIBES.
I CAN ASSURE YOU that every successful person you idolize has a team working behind them that they communicate with on a daily basis. Teamwork is a major ingredient in the recipe for success. Each member of the team recognizes that something larger than them is being created and that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. You might be thinking, “I don’t have a team, so this advice doesn’t apply to me.” But I want to remind you that you are a part of the human race, and humanity is the biggest and most important team you’ll ever be on. When you start being an awesome member of Team Humanity, it’ll help you be an awesome member of Team You. It’s almost as though helping out Team Humanity by being nice is training for all other teams in your life. Also, minor detail, but if everyone on the planet is horrible and we all end up killing each other, you won’t get the chance to become successful because you’ll be dead. So there’s that.
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE understand the importance of positivity. They know that their ideas will be rejected, things will go wrong, and mistakes will be made, no matter what, and they still need to maintain a positive outlook. Have you ever met a mean person who was positive? I haven’t. That’s because people who aren’t nice exude negative energy. When you’re nice to people, you take control of the energy surrounding you. You are creating a positive environment that will help you be successful (and happy). Not being nice is like poisoning yourself with bad vibes.
IN MOST SITUATIONS IN LIFE, PEOPLE will provide you with opportunities. A person will interview you, hire you, give you a chance, sponsor you, give you a second chance, help you, teach you, and build you up. A PERSON does all of those things; therefore, it makes a lot of sense to be nice to PEOPLE. I don’t see R2D2 rolling up to anyone and offering them a job, yet we probably treat our iPhones better than we do some of the people in our lives. So if being nice doesn’t innately make you feel good or you don’t care about humanity, realize that even for the most selfish hustler, being nice to people is essential when it comes to receiving opportunities. People will seldom work with someone who is horrible to be around.
The power of being nice to people should not be underestimated. I’m happy to say that I’ve established many connections and have been given many opportunities simply because I’ve been kind to people. Earlier this year I attended a YouTube music party and spotted Scooter Braun, aka Justin Bieber’s manager, standing two feet away from me. I had never met Scooter before, but I admired his hustle and work ethic. I wanted so badly to start a conversation, but I was a little nervous and my mind was drawing blanks. I had no idea how to initiate an introduction. Should I talk about the party? Should I ask him about Justin? Should I start a formal debate about wearing socks with sandals? Should I pretend to be confused and call him Nick? After a moment of deliberation, I stopped being crazy and decided I would just tell him the truth. I walked up to Scooter and said, “Hey! I think you’re really awesome, and here’s why …”
It turns out that Scooter was having a bad day and my words really hit home. He seemed genuinely appreciative of the fact that I approached him just to say something kind. The next day Scooter posted a pic of our meeting on Instagram with a caption that read:
Tell me again how being nice to people doesn’t really make a difference. Since our meeting, Scooter has occasionally posted about my videos, and it warms my heart knowing that this support was birthed from a simple, kind gesture.
Being nice to people definitely includes being polite, smiling, and giving your friend the last piece of cake, but if you want to be nice like a Bawse, then you need to understand that sometimes your kindness must be proactive. This means actively thinking of ways to be nice to people that will leave a lasting impression. You should treat niceness like a task on your daily to-do list and give it as much importance as everything else.
I’d like to think that I have a reputation for being pleasant while on set. When I was doing the photo shoot for my YouTube marketing campaign, I tried my best to be super-friendly to the entire crew. This meant being patient, saying please and thank you, talking to everyone, smiling lots, having a positive attitude, and not being fussy. In my opinion, these are qualities that everyone should possess when in a similar situation. But a Bawse doesn’t stop there. After the shoot I asked one of my contacts at YouTube to set up an email thread that included everyone who worked on the shoot, and I sent out an email to the entire team thanking them for their hard work and letting them know that I really appreciated their efforts and contributions. I received a ton of replies that were filled with gratitude. In fact, a few weeks later I ran into one of the directors, and he told me that no one had ever sent an email like that and it really made an impact on the team. Like a Bawse.
Before I perform, I always say the same thing to myself: “People won’t always remember what you did or what you said, but they’ll always remember how you made them feel.” With that in mind, I go onstage and make it my goal to impact people in a positive way. This truth applies in situations beyond the stage. If you are nice to people, you will make them feel good. And when you make someone feel good, they will associate you with these good feelings. That connection is really important if you want to be successful. After all, people will want to work with, give opportunities to, and support people who make them feel good. Why would they voluntarily want to be around people who make them feel horrible? They aren’t Meg and this isn’t Family Guy. Think about it: the people you support in life are likely the people who make you feel magical inside.
Like fairies spreading pixie dust.
Gimme That Effort
List five spontaneous nice gestures that are easy for you to execute.