N.I.C.E….Nothing Inside Me Cares Enough To Say Anything….

In an effort to effectively prioritize and produce results, I promised myself that I could work on a blog post only after I had finished some other, less exciting projects. Specifically, I committed to finishing this lengthy PowerPoint presentation today (not due until next week) and the reward for not procrastinating would be, well, this blog post. 

Long story short, I stopped working on the presentation dead in my tracks to write this blog post for you.

But, the redeeming moral of the story, is that, well, this blog post happens to be about the presentation that is sitting half done on my desk this very moment. 

For those of you who read my very first posting (click here…hint hint) the purpose of this bog is to share practical information for improving your life.  I say “life” because although I support “business” coaches — not “life” coaches — business is your life...whether you own a business, dream of starting your own business, or just want to be employee of the month.  And for those of you lucky enough to have a trust fund just spewing money into your bank account, then these tips will help you with your life. 

Most of us want to become better people. Most of us want to make smarter decisions. Most of us want to hear HOW to do this. 

 

See, that’s the thing with most self-help books and good old standbys like Stephen Covey. I have read 7 Habits twice AND listened to the audio CD. Guess what? Win-win my ass.  Sure, theoretically it’s brilliant and it definitely is the bible of popular jargon such as ‘synergy’ and ‘sharpen your saw’ but it never seemed applicable to the mundane, day-to-day experiences that trip us up. 

Remember, it’s the little things that make the difference. It’s the little things you think no one will notice that make or break your goals.

 

I learned a valuable lesson in the military. Yes, your humble writer spent four long, tedious, tumultuous years in the Air Force. Yes, I was a member of PETA and a vegetarian during that time too. Yes, I had a problem with authority. And YES I was honorably discharged.  

In the military, you aren’t allowed to wear dangle earrings and there is a laundry list of other dress-related regulations that seem inconsequential especially when you wake up late. But I swear to you, EVERY TIME I said to myself, ‘ah no one will notice’ someone did; and let me tell you, I mean EVERY TIME! 

Point being, the information I am sharing with you may seem little, trite, trivial, inconsequential. But TRUST ME, it’s the little things that matter. 

 

Which brings me to the concept of not being nice. According to this awesome presentation I am working on for Coach Ted Schmidt, the ActionCOACH Spokane definition of nice is as follows:

N.I.C.E....

• Nothing

• Inside Me

• Cares

• Enough

Think about that. Think about all the times you never spoke up in situations because you didn’t want to offend someone. What where the consequences? How could things have turned out differently if you had held that person accountable for their actions?  

This concept isn’t just about your own fear of the other person’s anger. It’s about the other person too.   It’s about caring enough about the other person to give them the input or information they need to be successful – or to avoid further or future pain.  We don’t typically stand by silently as we watch people we care about sabotage their efforts, or do we?  

It’s just something to think about. 

 

Now, for those of you who read my last blog post (click here..hint hint) about how I recently blurted out something inappropriate to a client (in front of my boss) I am not saying this is an opportunity to start telling people what you really think of them. I’m just suggesting that the concept of N.I.C.E. may be something we should all explore a little further and see if, in fact, because we are too nice, we ourselves are not being accountable. 

I’ll be honest, I am not quite sure how to apply this concept yet since it is fairly new to me. 

But perhaps together we can figure out how we can start caring enough about ourselves and our goals to stop being so N.I.C.E. all the damn time.