Be nice just to be nice. But there are also a lot of benefits:
Over the years, I have noticed a curious thing. The smartest people are rarely the most successful people. The most successful people I’ve encountered are generally smart and conversational, but not brilliant. You only have to be smart “enough.” Once you pass a certain threshold, success is no longer defined by intelligence. Instead, it’s a confluence of other skills and abilities, such as emotional intelligence, coachability, continuous improvement/learning, and luck among other things.
Rest assured that you don’t have to be the most brilliant person in the room. And you are certainly smart enough to do anything you put your mind to. So don’t limit your ambition and build the future you want to see in the world.
“If I have seen further,” Isaac Newton wrote in a 1675 letter to fellow scientist Robert Hooke, “it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
Look at society around you. Look at the technology, innovation, quality of life, fairness, etc. Yes, there’s more to do but we live in such an extraordinary time and place.
As a society, we have gotten here thanks to people throughout history just like you. They have put in the hard work and endured the struggles to build what we have today. You can carry this forward in your own way and contribute to building society even further. You will undoubtedly have your own struggles and challenges. When you are pushing boundries and stretching it will usually be very difficult. But realize the exciting future you are building for yourself and future generations.
Anyone who has accomplished anything great is still human–just like you. If they can do it, you can do it. Anything is possible. Think about all of the adversity people have fought through over the years. The challenges, the triumphs, the setbacks, the failures, the victories, the high achievements. You are just like the people who overcame and accomplished those things. If they can do it, why not you?
Life is actually pretty darn good. The media has a way of twisting perception in the most negative way. Look at the data/trends.
[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_link_target=”_self” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQUdyJAJoAU”][nectar_single_testimonial testimonial_style=”small_modern” color=”Default” quote=”For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.” name=”Benjamin Button” subtitle=”From the movie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_link_target=”_self” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][nectar_single_testimonial testimonial_style=”bold” color=”Default” quote=”It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” name=”Man in the Arena” subtitle=”Teddy Roosevelt”][/vc_column][/vc_row]