Nice Guys Don't Finish Last

I'm so tired of hearing and reading the phrase "nice guys finish last". It is absolutely untrue. There was a point in my life where I attached myself to this phrase with a deathgrip. I was that nice guy; the quiet unassuming guy who treats everyone nicely, and then lets people walk all over him. Was it because I was too nice? Absolutely not.

It was because I didn't have a backbone. If you're reading this, and you're one of those nice guys that I was referring to above, then maybe you need to read that last sentence again, just for good measure. There are plenty of nice people in the world that know when to speak up for themselves and not let themselves get stepped on.

There are also a lot of not-so-nice people in the world that will test their boundaries with people (may or may not be consciously done), just to see how much they can get away with. If they find that they can take advantage of the nice guy, guess what? They'll do it at every turn.

As I mentioned, I used to be that guy that would be taken advantage of. Now I demand raises and pave my own way to promotions, even if it means taking promotions from less qualified people. I'm learning to be more aggressive when going after the girl, and kicking her to the curb if I feel like she's taking advantage of me. But I still go out of my way to do nice things for people, and anyone that really knows me would describe me as "nice", because I am.

So here is some advice to all you nice guys out there. Grow a damn backbone! Speak up for yourself. Quit letting people step on you for their own gain. You don't have to sacrifice being nice in the process.