I just welcomed two Colombian travelers who had recently graduated from university and are now on their reward tour in Europe.

While I was talking to them on the way to their temporary home, my place in Berlin, I was wondering how easy it is to be outstanding in one specific regard: being nice. I was welcoming them with hugs, introduced them to the city in my own way and had a great exchange.

At my home, I offered them something to drink, a tea, some snack, prepared their bed (they’re using my room while I’ll be taking the couch) and let them have a nap. After the siesta, I helped them plan the rest of the day and let them go. That was nice because they literally told me, and I was happy they received it like that.

If you’re without any obvious skills, talent or any kind of specialty (although I highly doubt that), there is always one thing you can be best and become better with every single day.

Be nice. Always be nice. Always be nice to people. First of all be nice to yourself and treat yourself with respect and don’t act as if you slapped yourself into the face.

Practice being nice with strangers and random people you meet. Do a good nice thing every day. It starts with a smile. For example, today my mum told me when she met my dad he really smiled and was very happy to see her. You have to imagine my dad is a usually a grumpy one (although he can be a very, very cool dad as well) who prefers to be annoyed by life.

Why was he so nice today? At the moment he’s working as a „jumper“ meaning his boss can put him into any location in Berlin where there is a refugee home. His workplace changed today and is now very close to his home. His way to work shortened so it now takes him an hour less to arrive at work. Being happy about that he radiated that, and my mum benefited from that with a very genuine smile from someone who usually has issues in showing emotions.

The takeaway from today: It’s the easy things. Things are sometimes so easy to change. My dad’s boss changed my dad’s work location for the next two weeks. This was a nice gesture from him. By being nice my dad absorbed this niceness and was nice as well, in this case to my mum. A happy chain of being nice started. How my mum will use this reception of niceness, I will see. Since she’s generally nice it will be hard for me to tell what overly nice thing she will have done – to me or a stranger. Be nice, even if it’s the only thing you’re really good at.

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This was episode 52 of the #weekdaykickoff 🌊 Every weekday (Mon-Fri). Also find me on Anchor so we can talk — literally talk from person to person!

Also published on Medium.