Power of Nice Review and Giveaway

And the winner is.....(check here)

Happy Tuesday, everyone.

I thought I'd blog today about a book I'm getting the opportunity to review from BzzAgent (an online market research group). It's a business book called THE POWER OF NICE by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval. Now, I don't typically read business books but this one is short and to the point and offers some advice that I think people can apply to all parts of their lives. Here are the Six Power of Nice Principles:

1. Positive impressions are like seeds. Every time you smile at a messenger or laugh at a co-worker's joke, you plant a seed of positive energy and underneath the sufrace, that seed grows and expands, often exponentially.

2. You never know. Treat everyone you meet as if he/she is the most important person in the world---because he/she is. You never know what could happen.

3. People change. One common mistake is believing tha tyou only have to be nice to people in positions of power, not the assistant or the security guard. But you have no idea who might become important in five, ten or even twenty years from now.

4. Nice must be automatic. You can't turn on nice when it benefits you. Nice needs to be a habit and without a second thought.

5. Negative impressions are like germs. Just as positive actions are like seeds, rude gestures and remarks are like germs---you may not see the impact they have on you for a while, but they are there, silently infecting you and everyone around you.

6. You will know. Even if you never again see a person you have treated badly, you will know. It will be in your mind and heart when you walk into a room and try to convince others to put their faith in you. Because you won't believe in yourself, you could jeopardize the outcome of a business meeting or relationship.

Although this book is aimed at business people and the cultivation of business relationships, I think we could all benefit from putting these principles into action. I especially like the first one. Have you ever been to the library and the clerk who is helping you at circulation turns out to be especially grumpy? And then, you feel offended and your reaction is to be grumpy back? Well, I have been the clerk in this situation. And, typically, I had just been yelled at five times in a row before my current customer came to the desk. So, yes, I was a little grumpy. Sometimes, people would snap at me and take offense at my attitude. Which is perfectly understandable. But sometimes, a person would smile at me and ask me if it had been a tough day. Or they would crack a joke. And it would change my whole day. Even little things that we take for granted like saying "please" and "thank you" and acknowledging the help and service of our fellow human beings.

In this world where we are increasingly alienated from each other through technology, it becomes that much more important to be nice to one another. Simply to reconnect with each other. Like the book says, "you never know." Your one little smile or joke or "thank you" could change a person's whole day. And they just might pay it forward.

So, I recommend this book not for the writing or for any ground-breaking ideas but for the simple sentiment behind it. The seemingly obvious action of just being nice to each other and the power that such an action can have.

I'm going to give away a copy of this book. If you are interested in winning it, leave a comment.

I will take entries through next Monday, April 2.