If this statement were true, then the world would certainly be in a sorry state of affairs my friends.

Henry James, the 19th century author and novelist once said - "Three things in human life are important. The first is to be nice. The second is to be nice. And the third is to be nice."

This sounds like an easy thing to do. Correct?

Well, it is not always as easy as it might seem. When we are first born into the world, our minds are innocent and our spirits pure, unblemished and open. We hold no prejudice, no preconceived ideas or notions, no fear or anger or mistrust of others. Over time, the opinions of others and the actions of society cloud our eyes and mind.

I want you to take the time to do the following, brief two-part exercise.

First, I want you to close your eyes and recall a time when things were going well in your life. Perhaps it is the present time. Maybe it was in the past. Be honest with yourself and look deep inside to remember how you treated other people. Did you feel at peace with the world? Did you act by the principles of respect, brother / sisterhood, universal love and kindness towards others?

Next, think of a time when things were not going well. Perhaps your possessions were threatened (or you imagined they were threatened). You lost a promotion to someone else; or lost your job. Did you react with selfishness, prejudice, hatred or other negative emotions? Or what about a minor incident where you lost your self control on the way home from work. How did you react towards people then? Did you morph into a "finger flippin', horn honkin', road rager"? Did your Mr. (or Ms. Hyde) overpower your Dr. Jekyll?

Your interpersonal skills, actions, self control and self discipline will always be a huge deciding factor in whether you succeed or not.

In my chosen profession, I have met with many people who have achieved a phenomenal amount of success in their professional and also their personal lives. And I always make a point to "pick their brains" to find out what helped them rise to the top.

A few years ago I had the good fortune to spend a few days with Ernie Banks, who is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mr. Banks began his career in the Negro American League and then played for nearly twenty years with the Chicago Cubs. During his career, Mr. Banks won numerous awards for his achievements and was known for his positive mental attitude. In fact, due to his positive look on life, he was given the nickname (one of many), "Mr. Sunshine".

During his years growing up and the three years playing in the Negro Leagues, Ernie spent a great deal of time in the deep South and had to deal with racial prejudice along with the laws that segregated blacks from whites in public places and on public transportation.

In my many conversations with Ernie, I wanted to know how he stayed motivated and driven to achieve a high level of success, even when he was not treated as an equal in the eyes of others. In the course of one conversation he told me this - "I told myself at an early age that in order for me to succeed in life, I was always going to treat others as I wanted to be treated in return. I was always going to regard others with respect and kindness. I am convinced that this has been one of the reasons I was able to achieve my dreams in life".

No matter what your current circumstances or what has happened to you in the past, commit today to treat other people the same way as you would like to be treated - with respect and kindness.

Be nice.

Finish first.

Copyright (c) 2008 Mind Body Spirit Central, LLC