Wipe That Smile Off Your Face—Save it For People Who Deserve It.

Sometimes, People Expect Your Kindness—But They Haven’t Earned It. Quit Letting Those People Walk All Over You.

We’re taught from a young age to “be nice.”

To smile even when we don’t feel like it.

Be polite, even when someone is rude.

To avoid conflict. To be agreeable. To make other people feel comfortable—even at our own expense.

And at first, it sounds like good advice. Who doesn’t want to be seen as a kind, likable person? Who doesn’t want to get along with others?

But there’s a dark side to being “nice” that nobody warns you about.

• Some people will take your kindness as an invitation to use you.

• Some people will see your politeness as weakness.

• Some people will test you—crossing your boundaries little by little—to see just how much they can get away with.

And if you keep smiling through it… if you keep “being nice” even when they devalue you… guess what?

They won’t respect you.

Because deep down, they know they wouldn’t tolerate that treatment if the roles were reversed.

Why Do We Smile When We Don’t Mean It?

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