Why be rude when you could so easily be polite? Politeness costs nothing; it comes absolutely free. To treat others in a polite, respectful and courteous manner shouldn’t really be that difficult, should it? Why is it cool to display "attitude" which in itself is the antipathy of politeness?

Many people put on a tough or hard exterior as a method of self protection. The only problem is that it is very frequently an unnecessary measure. The majority of people out there are gentle, polite, respectful people. They don't need to be glared at so that they don't intimidate you. If you would like to be treated to a smile the best way to achieve this aim is to smile yourself.

In the same manner, if you glare and push people around, don't be surprised if they push you back in return. All they are doing is responding to you in a natural and instinctive manner.

This tendency towards "attitude" even appears in email exchanges, telephone conversations and texts. I have twice recently received telephone marketing calls to which my response has been a very polite negative and then had the connection severed abruptly. I was left with the telephone still in my hand wondering how that person might ever expect to re-approach someone with their sales pitch?

Did they feel that they were too busy and couldn't waste their time on a perfunctory "thank you for your time" or "have a good day"? Or did they mentally think of me as a time waster because I didn't want to buy their unsolicited services?

Let's put this in context here; they interrupted my day to waste my time talking about something they wished to gain from off of me...and were rude and aggressive when I said a polite no! Does that strike you as a bit odd?

My mother, like most ladies and gents of her generation, complains about the state of the World today. I'm half her age and already echoing her thoughts and comments. I find this particularly sad. And I'm sure that I am not alone in this. There are many, many people who would so very much appreciate a little more "niceness" in the way that they are treated.

Interestingly enough my mother is not alone in commenting that since she has been using a walking stick she has discovered that people in general are immeasurably more considerate and polite than they were before she needed a walking aid. This is great to hear, although it does beg the question of why so many people cannot be more polite and considerate as a matter of course.

We are happier when people smile, happier when people address us with a calm or upbeat tonality and yes, we are happier when we are treated with courtesy and respect. I try to live my life along the lines of being friendly and respectful to others no matter how they treat me; this can sometimes be a trying task, but I do nevertheless do my best to live up to these standards and not be dragged down into rudeness, unhappiness and negativity. That would merely serve to make matters worse.

Laugh and the world laughs with you, smile and the world smiles too. Wouldn't it be great if we all as a community set out every day with the conscious intent of smiling and seeing how much light we can give to those who we come into contact with?

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in hypnosis mp3 downloads for happiness.

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