Kind vs Nice, do you know the difference?

Listening to a pod cast had me thinking about kind vs nice. There are plenty of memes on social media that are stressing one to “be kind” and/or “chose kindness”. I had an opportunity to see more clearly kind vs nice and how they are not at all the same thing.

Being kind means setting boundaries, being respectful and in turn being respected. To me, in being kind there is a mutual regard for one other.  You don’t need to agree with another person to act kindly. You can be very different from one another and still be kind.

Being nice implies that one is perhaps giving up their own position to avoid rocking the boat. Walking on egg shells so to speak so that people “like you”. One might even be classified as a bit shallow when acting from a place of being nice. Being nice actually devalues both parties.

We might try asking our teams and our children to be kind rather than telling them to “be nice”. Let’s try!