Avoiding “No More Mr. Nice Guy”

I remember a time when I was in the  eighth grade in middle school.  I was extremely introverted, quiet, nice to all of the students and teachers, and I would continuously do classwork that lived up to the teacher’s requirements.  One day in History class, my teacher assigned me as group leader for a project on the civil war.  Out of all the students, I had five of the laziest people in my group.  I did not have access to the computer whatsoever if I wanted to do the project myself.  When it came to presentation day, I was humiliated as a team captain to present our unfinished project.  My teacher asked me a question and I did not hear her clearly.  So i asked her, “what”? She was so offended, that she screamed at me saying that to her anymore.  You could understand how embarrassed I felt because I did not mean to offend her and she screamed at me in front of the whole class.  Everyone is not raised in southern hospitality, so we should be careful what we say to other people at all times because they could take what you say (even if you did not mean it) personal.  If you invest in these tips, you could avoid the no more Mr. nice guy side of people. 

Take all the steps to avoid him:

Tip 1:  Instead of saying “can I” use  “may I” instead.

The  phrase is improper in the English language anyways, so be more proper.  There are people that could become offended by the use of improper grammar.  It could also be looked as unprofessional. 

Tip 2:  Do not ever say “what” to a person, especially if you do not know them well.  Say “excuse me” instead.

Realistically, the proper way to ask a question you did not hear very well is to say “excuse me”.  You will never know if the person you are talking to could easily get offended. 

Tip 3:  Do not laugh at a person’s misfortune in front of them no matter how comical it is. 

Say a person said to you that his mother is in the hospital.  He also said that when he was visiting his mother, he saw a nurse tripped over a chair leg.  Then you laugh a little and he says to you that is not funny.  Do not laugh at a person’s story of misfortune.  They will become offended and when you try to apologize it might not be forgiven because they think that you know better.

Tip 4:  Do not make fun of a person’s passion or hobby in front of them. 

You might not agree with what the person is doing, but you should respect the person and his or her ideas. 

Tip 5:  Do not ever call anyone you are not close to out of their name.

It is alright to call your friends out of their name in a joking manner because that is your friend.  You have an idea of how your friends think or act.  On the other hand, you call this person out of his or her name he or she might become offended.  Some people might not joke like you do. 

Tip 6:  Do not say sorry when you are really not!

If you do something wrong and you know what you did, an apology will always arise.  But one type of apology that a person does not want to receive is an unsympathetic one.  A person does not want to hear an apology that is not sincere.  If that is the point, then why are you apologizing any way? Wait until you feel sincere with your apology. 

Tip 7:  Do not compare anyone to the devil himself!

I know this sounds silly, but I had two encounters with two of my closest friends.  I was jokingly calling them the devil because that is what me and my other friends would do when we would do something mischievous.  But their feelings were hurt when I called them that.  See? I broke tip number five in these two separate incidents. 

Tip 8:  Do not make fun of a person’s race, religion, or gender

These are global issues and issues that deals with humanity.  These topics are to not be taken lightly.

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