“Nice” people don’t have needs.
“Nice” people put the needs of other people before their own.
If we hustle too hard for our own needs, other people will judge that we are not a “nice” person.
Scripts
We live scripts in life. Scripts are decisions we make very young. Then we spend the rest of our lives proving that this “reality” is true.
We find evidence everywhere. We create situations and friendships that are certain to generate more.
We second guess other people’s needs in the hope of not breaching them.
Too Much
It can veer into over-responsibility. Like it’s your job to calculate and accommodate everyone’s needs.
There’s a fine line between consideration and being self negating.
That voice can get too loud. After all, the only way to not get in anyone’s way is to not exist at all. That’s not a great logical conclusion.
All this chatter and self regulation when nobody has even asked us to do anything. What chance do we have when they do?
People often ask for things that go against what we want ourselves. How to respond? The simple thing is to say so.
But remember: “nice” people don’t have needs. And if they do, they don’t insist on getting them met!
Who Is The Nice Guy?
Brene Brown says compassionate people have a characteristic that others don’t have. Boundaries.
Her research taught her that the most loving people are also the most boundaried.
Not the nice guy who says “sure” and feel torn inside.
But the ones who say “that doesn’t work for me.” The ones who don’t drop their needs, but hold onto them hard and get them met.
These people have no resentments. They get their needs met. So their hearts are free to love and be compassionate.
When To Drop Your Needs
So when should “nice” people let their needs go? When should they refuse to drop them? What’s the balance?
I struggle with this. It seems a complicated question.
But it’s not. It’s simple. The answer is to never drop them.
The answer is to insist that your needs get met.
Because your needs are no less important than anyone else’s. Even when others do a better job at making the case for theirs.
Marshall Rosenberg taught that we are creative enough to meet all our needs. This, he said, is how we bring peace and joy to the world. There are no bad needs, only misguided strategies.
A Win Win World
Great negotiators talk about creating win win situations. That is only possible when everyone’s needs are met. Otherwise, it’s win-lose. That’s where resentments breed.
To create the peace and joy that Marshall speaks of, stand up for yourself. Keep your needs on the table. But keep your strategies flexible.
Would a “nice person” stand in the way of peace and joy? Would they sabotage the desired win-win by dropping their own needs?
The world doesn’t want us to abandon our needs. Or anyone else’s. It wants us to keep hold of both while trying out new strategies to get them all met.
That’s what Brene Brown calls boundaried. It means no more Mr “Nice” Guy. Because that was bullshit anyway.
As her research shows, those boundaries are the best road to becoming the compassionate, loving person that we all hope to be.
Alun Parry is Director of The Liverpool Psychotherapy Practice
A struggle many of us deal with. I think being the youngest and bullied at a young age, I often tried to be a people pleaser, and be nice to everyone so they would like me. It’s taken 50 years for me to start to slowly see it and turn it around. I still have a long way to go.
Thanks for this reply Darren. We make smart decisions when young to protect ourselves. Often they become outdated and no longer serve us as we get older and stronger and have more options and resources. I often struggle with this, and I realise now that I never have to drop my needs because all needs can be met. But in order to help that happen, I need to cling onto my own always. Good luck on your own journey and thanks so much for sharing.