Don’t be kind without being REAL

Ha Nguyen
2 min readJul 19, 2020

Kindness could also be a double-edged sword.

A hidden threat of being (too) nice is falling into the so-called people-pleasing trap.

Here is how to differentiate:

. Kind person: do things that make no harm to others.

. People pleaser: do things that make others satisfied even if it causes yourself suffering or against what you truly want.

Some characteristics of a people-pleaser.

. Avoid conflict at all cost, even if it means suppressing one’s true feelings

. Intentionally build & maintain a good image of one’s self in others’ eyes

. Can’t say no or feeling bad/ guilty for saying no

. Take (unnecessary) responsibility for how other people feel

Dear all people-pleasers out there, it’s good to make others happy, just don’t hurt yourself in the attempt to do so!

I have been a people-pleaser myself.

But then I realize that this doesn’t serve me well.

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Ha Nguyen
Ha Nguyen

Written by Ha Nguyen

A child advocate & entrepreneur in Helsinki who cares about education, fairness, the environment & sustainability. Stay in touch on IG: @a.second.of.happiness