How to Be a Slightly Better Person
Many people express a thoroughly commendable desire to be better as a person, and a certain number of those people actually make a determined attempt to be better, but the process of becoming a better person is not quite as easy as it might seem at first. The main reason that people do not succeed at trying to be better is that they extend themselves too far. They generally try to be not merely better, but much better, which usually proves to be a completely hopeless undertaking.
The key to succeeding at being a better person is to try only to be slightly better. Trying to be anything more than slightly better is a foolhardy exploit, and will be the cause of an untold amount of trouble in every instance. Keep in mind that a low standard is far easier to attain than a high standard.
Here are a few tips, offered in a spirit of friendly advice, on how to become a slightly better person:
Be kind, but avoid being too kind. More often than not, displays of heartfelt kindness are taken for granted, and therefore serve no purpose. People who are overly kind rarely get ahead in life.
Be gracious, but avoid being too gracious. Do not be a pushover. After all, there is no need to allow anyone to take advantage of you, which is what most people will do if they are given the opportunity.
Be patient when listening to other people, but avoid being too patient. It is an ageless truism that being patient when listening to other people is useful only to a degree. One should always remember that most people are inclined to talk absolute rubbish.
Be attentive, but avoid being too attentive. The line that separates the act of being attentive from the act of being a nuisance is thin and treacherous. If one is not careful, being attentive to others can become an unseemly habit.
Be honest, but avoid being too honest. A little honesty goes a long way. The practice of being honest usually is harmless when confined to the form of a small gesture, but when carried to an extreme, it soon can become excessively burdensome.
Be considerate, but avoid being too considerate. Do not show needless concern for the happiness of others. Being considerate is only a step away from being selfless, and there is no fun to be had in being selfless.
Be steadfast, but avoid being too steadfast. Sometimes it pays to accept defeat. If a situation appears to be going badly, the chances are that it will get even worse, so the wisest course of action is to give up and pretend that it never happened.
Be cheerful, but avoid being too cheerful. Maintaining a regular outlook of constant cheerfulness, without sufficient justification, is a source of annoyance to everyone, and has been known to result in madness.
With the help of these straightforward tips, anyone can seek to become a slightly better person. If each of us committed ourselves, halfheartedly, to the listless pursuit of being slightly better, the collective force of our mild resolve would weakly manifest itself, slowly leading mankind toward the worthy goal of a slightly better world.
The key to succeeding at being a better person is to try only to be slightly better. Trying to be anything more than slightly better is a foolhardy exploit, and will be the cause of an untold amount of trouble in every instance. Keep in mind that a low standard is far easier to attain than a high standard.
Here are a few tips, offered in a spirit of friendly advice, on how to become a slightly better person:
Be kind, but avoid being too kind. More often than not, displays of heartfelt kindness are taken for granted, and therefore serve no purpose. People who are overly kind rarely get ahead in life.
Be gracious, but avoid being too gracious. Do not be a pushover. After all, there is no need to allow anyone to take advantage of you, which is what most people will do if they are given the opportunity.
Be patient when listening to other people, but avoid being too patient. It is an ageless truism that being patient when listening to other people is useful only to a degree. One should always remember that most people are inclined to talk absolute rubbish.
Be attentive, but avoid being too attentive. The line that separates the act of being attentive from the act of being a nuisance is thin and treacherous. If one is not careful, being attentive to others can become an unseemly habit.
Be honest, but avoid being too honest. A little honesty goes a long way. The practice of being honest usually is harmless when confined to the form of a small gesture, but when carried to an extreme, it soon can become excessively burdensome.
Be considerate, but avoid being too considerate. Do not show needless concern for the happiness of others. Being considerate is only a step away from being selfless, and there is no fun to be had in being selfless.
Be steadfast, but avoid being too steadfast. Sometimes it pays to accept defeat. If a situation appears to be going badly, the chances are that it will get even worse, so the wisest course of action is to give up and pretend that it never happened.
Be cheerful, but avoid being too cheerful. Maintaining a regular outlook of constant cheerfulness, without sufficient justification, is a source of annoyance to everyone, and has been known to result in madness.
With the help of these straightforward tips, anyone can seek to become a slightly better person. If each of us committed ourselves, halfheartedly, to the listless pursuit of being slightly better, the collective force of our mild resolve would weakly manifest itself, slowly leading mankind toward the worthy goal of a slightly better world.