“Dalton: I want you to be nice until it’s time to not be nice. – From the movie Roadhouse”

Most who have interacted with me can attest that I am generally a nice guy. I try my best to empathize with others, to be non-judgmental and I smile enough that some might think that something is wrong with me mentally. Though I try, some people, a small percentage, prove the adage that misery loves company is true. 

I treat everyone I meet as a friend, right off the bat, I show kindness and openness to all people. To me, everyone’s a friend I haven’t met yet, because that’s how friendships begin, not knowing one another. I extend this to everyone, from the guy in line at the grocery store to the waiter at a restaurant. 

Everyone’s a friend you haven’t met that is until you meet them!

I learned this lesson early on in life and it has served me very well over the decades. Give what you expect to get, and if you do not get the same reciprocated, no harm no foul, they were a stranger after all, right? If you strike up a conversation, great, if not, you’ve truly lost nothing.

The best part of having this attitude is seeing people change around you, seeing them smile, seeing their mood lift from you showing kindness. Regardless if you become friends with them, you touch their lives in ways in which you may not even fathom yourself. It’s truly powerful!!!Whenever I brooch this topic with people, they often think I’m insane until I ask if they’ve always known their best friend, or how they met. Everyone is a stranger at some point, everyone is also a potential friend.