{"id":9341,"date":"2016-09-24T22:20:10","date_gmt":"2016-09-24T16:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yourdost.com\/blog\/?p=9341"},"modified":"2016-09-24T22:41:21","modified_gmt":"2016-09-24T17:11:21","slug":"cost-of-being-nice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yourdost.com\/blog\/2016\/09\/cost-of-being-nice.html","title":{"rendered":"Being Too Nice Can Not Only Be Costly But Dangerous For You"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember <\/span><b><i>Archie Comics<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> where Archie is sandwiched between Veronica and<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Betty? <\/span>Veronica <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is a gorgeous go-getter who is <\/span><b>brash, brimming with confidence and self-assured.<\/b> <b>Betty,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in contrast, is a sweet girl who is <\/span><b>ever nice, understanding and polite<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Of course, Betty \u00a0considerate and smart but what does she get in return? <\/span><b>She is almost always taken for granted!<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How often have you felt exploited, used and being taken for granted for being nice to others?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being overly nice can be over-rated!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The concept of \u2018being nice\u2019 is ingrained within us to such an extent that we have become habituated to being too nice even at the cost of trampling our own sense of self-respect and dignity. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/blog\/evolution-the-self\/200807\/parent-pleasing-people-pleasing-part-3-3\">Research studies<\/a> indicate that individuals who are extremely nice to others tend to have an <\/span><b>excessive and constant need to seek approval of others<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and end up being people-pleasers.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><b><i>According to Les Barbanell, psychologist and author of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Removing-Mask-Kindness-Diagnosis-Personality\/dp\/0765704102\">Removing <\/a><\/i><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Removing-Mask-Kindness-Diagnosis-Personality\/dp\/0765704102\"><b><i>The Mask of Kindness<\/i><\/b><\/a><b><i>, extreme selflessness is a character trait that can be used to mask a variety of psychological and emotional problems.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Furthermore, behind the mask, there is often<\/span><b> misery, emotional isolation, guilt, shame, anger, and anxiety. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is not to say that we need to become offensive, rude or impolite; rather it is about becoming aware of some of the ways in which we can avoid being taken for granted.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>What can you do about this?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>1. The art of saying \u2018No\u2019 graciously<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People who are overly nice have a tendency to say \u2018Yes\u2019 to everything \u2013 even when they don\u2019t want to. If you can relate to this, think for a moment and pause before giving an answer based on your convictions and priorities.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><b><i>Saying \u2018no\u2019 makes a lot of us nervous and when we are nervous there is a tendency to keep talking, and talking, and talking. Avoid getting into such situations by keeping your answers short and precise.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are <\/span><b><i>five<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> general pointers that can help you to say \u2018No\u2019 politely:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start with a compliment (if one fits the situation).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Give your answer.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Say thank you.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Encourage the person.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Change the subject or excuse yourself.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Note:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Be conscious of your facial expressions and body language. Keep your demeanor light and do not forget to <\/span><b>smile<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em><strong>A smile says \u201cNo hard feelings.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3><strong>2. Be assertive instead of being passive<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Assertiveness is a skill that takes practice. It may be easier for you to swallow your feelings, scream at someone or give them the silent treatment. But assertiveness is a better strategy in the long run.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><b><i>Being assertive<\/i><\/b> <b><i>means that you communicate in such a way that you stand up for your point of view while also respecting the rights and beliefs of others.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a core communication skill and can be applied in the context of all relationships &#8211; be it a tricky situation at work or conflicts within the family or disagreements with friends. While being assertive, it\u2019s critical to pay attention to your <\/span><b>voice tone<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as it\u2019s not <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">what <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you say that matters but <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how<\/span><\/i> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you say it!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some general examples of <\/span><b>assertiveness statements<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI&#8217;ll think about it and get back to you.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI disagree with you. I see the situation this way.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI get scared when there&#8217;s yelling. I&#8217;d be more comfortable talking if you&#8217;d lower your voice.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Thanks for keeping me informed, but I can&#8217;t make it this time.&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI&#8217;m hurt that you&#8217;re walking away from me in the middle of my sentence. I&#8217;d feel better if you stayed until I finish.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><strong>3. Don&#8217;t compromise on your self-respect:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If someone else is devaluing you, there\u2019s a good chance that you are doing the same thing to yourself <\/span><b><i>so change has to start with you. <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Change starts when you begin to assess your self-worth and truly accept all your strengths and flaws.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><b><i>The right changes will occur when you respect yourself despite your weaknesses as there is no one who is perfect anyway.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make conscious efforts to treat yourself with enough respect to confronting anyone who is taking you for a ride or using you for their gain. You have to be\u00a0<\/span>more self-validating.\u00a0Also,remember that the essence of us is worthwhile. So, love<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0yourself<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and stop allowing others to take advantage just because you are nice.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left; color: black;\"><em><strong>Do you feel people are taking undue advantage because you are nice and kind? Talk to <a href=\"https:\/\/yourdost.com\/talkItOut ?yd_source=YDBlog&amp;yd_medium=InternalLinking&amp;yd_content=SuccessfulPeopleDealWIthStress_campaign=BlogPostPromotion\">YourDOST Exper<\/a>ts for better communication skills and be valued for who you are.<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Remember Archie Comics where Archie is sandwiched between Veronica and Betty? Veronica is a gorgeous go-getter who is brash, brimming with confidence and self-assured. Betty, in contrast, is a sweet girl who is ever nice, understanding and polite. Of course, Betty \u00a0considerate and smart but what does she get in return? She is almost always [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[81,38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-confidence","category-self-growth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yourdost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yourdost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yourdost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yourdost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yourdost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9341"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yourdost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9341\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yourdost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yourdost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yourdost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}