Peering at the chalkboard, I listened intently as my GCSE English teacher wrote the word ‘nice’ then aggressively scratched a thick cross through it. ‘Nice,’ she muttered, as if the word itself was nasty. ‘Never use the word nice. There are a hundred better words.’
She etched on my consciousness that nice is bland. We should aim to be exciting, unusual, spectacular and hilarious. Maybe we want to be brilliant, interesting or talented. But nice? No one should aspire to be, simply and humbly, nice.
LIFE ENHANCING
Over the years, I’ve pondered this. And recently, after reading On Being Nice, a School of Life book (a global organisation which aims to help people live more fulfilled lives) I wondered – what if we’re all so busy trying to be thinner, richer, better and stronger, we forget how life-changing it might be to be more patient, forgiving, warm and gentle? Being nice should be celebrated, because to be nice is to make the world a little bit better, surely?
This story is from the March 02, 2024 edition of WOMAN'S OWN.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 02, 2024 edition of WOMAN'S OWN.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Is it ever OK to lie about your age?
Kaye Adams has done it, and even Mel B jokes that she doesn't believe friend Geri Horner is 51. We ask...
‘I DIDN'T THINK.I'D SEE MUM AGAIN'int ICAT AFAR
MelB on rebuilding her life rebuilding her life after her abusive’ marriage
8 WAYS TO BECOME A MORNING PERSON
Improve body and mind with just a few simple tweaks to your daily routine
WHY YOU NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST LOVE
(laire Dore, 50, learnt a lot from her first serious relationship
WHAT'S THE NAKED ATTRACTION ?
After a host of celebrities admitted to stripping off behind closed doors, Natalie Brown, 43, decided to bare all to find out just what all the fuss was about
MY FURY AT BEING A GRAN AT 52
Shona Sibary was far from excited when her eldest daughter welcomed her first child
A YEAR IN THE MAKING
Many of us shy away from drastic change but for these three women, it was just what they needed
I LOST 6ST AND FOUND THE REAL ME!
Shay Al-Ajami May, 32, was fed up pretending to be happy, so she decided to make it a reality
WHAT DO YOUR FEET SAY ABOUT YOUR HEALTH?
From heart disease to arthritis, here’s what they might be trying to tell you…
HOW CAN WE HELP OUR CHILDREN?
With more young people facing mental-health crises, we investigate what needs to be done
