How to be a Better Person so You Get into The Good Place
The other day I am scrolling through Netflix looking for great content to consume and I come across face of second-favorite Frozen character, Kristen Bell. She is the star of this show called The Good Place.
Have you seen it? It’s like a modern take on heaven. But not everyone gets in. You need to be a super great person, which is determined by honorable point system.
Everyone on Earth is assigned a score for their activities while they’re alive. Help homeless woman escape from KGB? Plus 500 points. Steal vodka-flavored candy from baby? Minus 300 points.
If you get enough points you go to The Good Place when you die. Not enough points you go to The Bad Place. I don’t know much about The Bad Place because I am fantastic person and have only watched five episodes.
To that extent, here are some helpful tips and tricks to make you a better you-person. Maybe one day when we both fall off the roof trying to hang Christmas lights for old lady, we will meet each other in The Good Place.
That would be acceptable.
1. Be a good listener instead of just waiting for your turn to talk. Other people have bad days too. If you don’t pay attention to their horrible stories, then they won’t pay attention to yours.
2. Recycle more things. Yes, it’s annoying to hang on to that pop can for a few blocks instead of throwing it into the trash. But if we stock recycling then our planet will look like that garbage dump from WALL-E.
3. Be nice to low-wage workers, especially when they make a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. When I was 16, I accidently dropped a huge chunk of ice in a deep fryer. It basically exploded and hot oil got everywhere. My boss didn’t make me feel stupid about it. We just laughed and cleaned it up together.
4. Don’t overreact to other people’s anger or rudeness. Bad moods are like optional viruses. You can choose to catch it, or you can choose to be immune. In fact, if you’re nice and helpful enough, you can even cure the other person.
5. Accept responsibility for mistakes. Laying blame on other people, programs, or inanimate objects is a recipe for ending up in The Bad Place. Approach every bad event from a position of learning. Ask yourself, how could I have done this differently? If you just blame others, then next time you might make the same mistake.
6. Hand out a lot of compliments. Compliments make people feel good about themselves. You know how much time you spend trying to look good before you leave the house for something important? That’s everybody. Acknowledge their effort and this will make them happy. Making others happy is the foundation of being a great person.
7. Forgive your old grudges. What purpose do they serve other than to keep you up at night? Arguing with invisible people in the shower is not productive. That time could be spent listening to Taylor Swift.
8. Support people and businesses that go above and beyond. If we don’t recognize, appreciate, and vote with our wallets, then these places go out of business. You don’t want your community to turn into a bunch of big box stores run by faceless squid monsters.
@kazuend
9. Say yes to more things. Often times we’re asked to step outside our comfort zone, and the default answer is no. Trying saying yes more often. Just like in that Jim Carrey movie, Affirmative Man (2008).
10. Bring more stuff to parties. It doesn’t cost much to bring a bag of chips to share at a party. If everyone brought a little something to share, then all parties would be better. Although you should do this not just for parties. Visiting someone in the hospital? Ask them if you can bring something. They might appreciate a fresh pair of socks more than a bouquet of flowers.
In the end, being a great person is about maximizing happiness. Not just for yourself, but for others as well.
Have a good day. You look great.
