Be Nice: Nice People Can Succeed. A Practical Guide for a Mean World

By Anthony Casuccio

Music entrepreneur Anthony Casuccio shares stories of how "being nice" and doing the “right thing” (no matter how hard or embarrassing) in a crazy business, has created opportunities for him both professionally and personally.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Aug 26, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483506470

Book preview

Conclusion

Being Nice Doesn’t Mean You Have to Be a Pushover

Being a positive, caring person creates an atmosphere that people want to be a part of. By doing so, I have been able to put myself into many situations and capitalize on opportunities that have presented themselves.

Yes, the world is a mean place, but you as an individual can still (at a basic level) be nice, which in turn will radiate positive energy.

This world could use as much positive energy as it can get. I hear a lot of people say how cruel the world is. I also hear a lot of people say how humans are generally a nice, compassionate species. I am not so sure that human beings are wired to be nice to one another. I actually agree with the saying it is a cruel world out there. If we look throughout history from the beginning of documented societies, there have been countless atrocities against mankind. Do I need to list them? The Roman Empire days, and the persecution of Christians, the concentration camps during World War II, Serbian Kosovo conflict, September 11th, Darfur and the rise of teenage bullying here in the United States. I could go on and on. I think to myself, how can we, as people, treat fellow human beings this way? I don’t understand, and I don’t have an answer. I am a mere musician who has worked hard, had some good luck and tried to project a positive vibe in the world around me.

I have a profound emotional outlook on life, maybe too much for my own good. Yes, I cry at movies and am deeply affected by memories generated from a favorite song. My only guess at destructive human behavior is that fear causes these horrendous acts. People fear the unknown; they fear people who are different from them or things that threaten their beliefs. I am sure there are a thousand books written on the subject of negative human behaviors. Maybe we need to embrace each other’s differences instead of challenging them.

I don’t think people will debate me on this. My point is that most often people will take the path of least resistance, which usually turns out to be the wrong path. It is harder to take the high road, the correct path and do the right thing. Examples range from flipping off the driver who cut you off (which we all have done), making fun of a person at school for wearing outrageous clothes, bullying someone for their sexual orientation or robbing someone at gunpoint. I could list countless examples of even more disastrous, harmful situations. It is easier to go with the crowd and make fun of someone than stand up for the attacked person’s rights to be themselves. It is easier to rob someone than look for a job or ask for help.

My favorite word is respect, and I feel there is a severe lack of respect in the world. Do you want to get ahead in life, at the office, in your family circle, as a coach for your child’s little league? Show some respect and treat others in a respectful way by not judging them. Give everyone the benefit of the doubt before you unleash your ill-conceived ideas of who and why they are the way they are. Is it worth it to get all worked up over a small, insignificant occurrence? It may feel good at the moment, but that will not last long. Getting frustrated and telling someone off, usually backfires and catches up with you.

I am not trying to preach or claim I am holier than thou. I am just saying that I have always tried (tried being the key word) to take the right path and doing so has helped me succeed. We all have choices. Am I a product of a great upbringing? Do I have Catholic guilt? Am I a push-over? No. I act this way because it is the right thing to do. (And yes, I did have great role models at home.) Is it easy to do the right thing or act appropriately? Absolutely not. I have a temper. I am a hot head. I think I am right most of the time, but I still try to act appropriately. I feel I can spread a positive message or diffuse a negative situation by the way I carry myself or react, and that alone makes me feel pretty good at the end of the day.

We all can make a difference in this crazy, fast-paced world. I have seen the results of my positive actions. I have reaped the rewards of being positive and treating people with respect. Am I rich and famous? No, but I have done some pretty cool things and reached some lofty goals in my slightly more than 40 years on this planet. My actions have helped open doors for me. I can always sleep at night because I know I do the right thing when confronted by a roadblock, problem or conflict. It has not always been easy, and I have had to bite my tongue, delete emails before sending, or clench my fist so I can grin and bear my deep desire to respond negatively. I decided to share some of my stories and views to help inspire others to treat their fellow humans with respect and give people the benefit of the doubt, before rushing to judgment or doing something regretful. Or worse, hurt someone mentally or physically.

Final Thoughts

Doing the right thing feels great. It will help you succeed in life and nourish your soul.

Have you ever done the