Why I Stopped Being a ‘Nice Guy’: A Journey of Self-Discovery
Unpacking the good, the bad, and the complicated in being “Mr. Nice Guy”
Do you ever find yourself saying yes when you want to scream no? Do you sometimes feel like the unofficial therapist for all your friends? Then, friend, welcome to the paradoxical world of being the “nice guy.” I’ve been there — stuck in a purgatory of endless politeness, perpetually sacrificing my desires for the comfort of others. It’s a tightrope I walked until I realized the tightrope was fraying at both ends.
Don’t get me wrong, being kind is a virtue. It’s altruism at its finest. But there’s a dark side to always being the “nice guy” that no one talks about. So here we are, talking about it — about the blurry lines that make you wonder if you’re being compassionate or just a pushover.
The Virtues and Pitfalls of Being “Nice”
Kindness Isn’t Just About Others
I grew up believing that being nice was synonymous with being a good person. If you were kind, people would like you, respect you, and perhaps even love you. So I was nice, like, really nice, even when it hurt. “Nice” became my second skin. But as the years unfolded, I found myself shouldering emotional baggage…
