Can a t-shirt make a difference? Almost daily I wear a Choose To Be Nice t-shirt, sweatshirt or hat. It holds me to a higher standard of behavior, and I see that it makes people at least stop and think.
It was hot and I was famished in New York city last weekend. I popped into a little store to pick up a healthy snack. All I wanted was an apple, but I had no cash. The cashier stood firm by his store’s policy of a $10 minimum for credit cards.
I resigned myself to being hungry and proceeded to return the apple to its fruit bin. And then Eric stepped in. Dressed in a white t-shirt with gold chains, some might have considered him to be intimidating, but appearances are so often deceiving. “I’ll choose to be nice,” he said pointing to my t-shirt. And then he was. He bought me the apple and left me with a happy grin. Wow!
The next day, I was waiting in queue for a cab to head over to Penn Station for my train home. The couple waiting behind me and I began chatting. They told me they were visiting NY from their home country of Argentina. From NY they were headed to Boston then on to Miami before flying home. They suggested we share the ride as they were going to Penn Station as well. And at the end, without a comment, these people I had just met paid the entire fare.
These were just small gestures, but they had a huge impact on me. It’s what I hope to encourage with Choose To Be Nice. I call these “Choose To Be Nice Moments.” They got me to thinking how great it would be if we could all share these moments to inspire and motivate each other. I’d love to hear about your moments. When have people been nice to you or what kind of an impact have you had on someone else? You could share these moments HERE and on social media using #ChooseToBeNiceMoments or email me at dina@choosetobenice.com so I can post them to our blog.
Please think about what you can do on a daily basis. Check out our Daily Nice for ideas. Maybe it’s paying for someone’s apple like Eric did for me or maybe it’s as simple as giving a warm smile to someone who might need one. What you do will make a difference for that person. I promise it will. And that person will be more likely to do something nice for someone else and so on. And the world will be a better place.
Have you made the Choose To Be Nice Promise? Please, do it today.