1. YOU NEVER KNOW

You truly never know what someone else is going through. Maybe the girl you keep calling “fat” has an eating disorder. Maybe the guy who is super quiet and barely says a word has an abusive parent at home. Or maybe they don’t — that’s the point here. You NEVER know. Try putting yourself in their shoes for a minute.

2. IT FEELS GOOD

It makes you feel better. Call it selfish or whatever, but seriously… when’s the last time being mean to someone made you feel good? You might get some weird satisfaction from being mean, but when you’re done… don’t you feel icky? Like you need a shower? Being mean does nothing for your soul except for crush it.

3. BEING NICE IS CONTAGIOUS

As humans, we naturally feed off of each other’s energy. If everyone in the room is being negative, chances are you’re going to adapt to that vibe. But if everyone is being super nice, chances are you will want to be that way too. It may take a few days, but it’s simple to start. When your friend makes a snarky or gossipy comment to you about the girl who looks like she didn’t wash her hair today… you know it’s not right. Try looking at her and saying something like, “Maybe she ran out of time? I did the same thing the other day.” Try it and see what happens.

4. YOU WILL BE REMEMBERED

These days, social media let’s us keep up with each other long after high school and college. You wouldn’t believe the girls who like and comment on my posts with the nicest things, who were SO MEAN to me in high school. Of course, I would never say anything to them now because there isn’t a reason to. And sure, if they ever wanted to get together I’d be down. I don’t hold it against them because, again, there is no point. But I guarantee you, they regret treating people the way they did. Don’t be like them. Be remembered as the nice girl.

5. THE GOLDEN RULE

Treat others like you’d want to be treated. What if someone was doing to you what you did to them? There’s a reason why we’ve all been taught this phrase. It’s true. Think about it.

Are you kind of a mean girl, but not sure how to flip the switch? The next time you see someone wearing a ridiculous outfit that you’d NEVER be caught dead wearing… instead of saying that to your friend, try talking about how much confidence that person has to wear that. Would you be confident to rock that look? To be honest, probably not. Eventually, you’ll quit obsessing about other people’s differences (seriously, #YOUDOYOU). Instead, hopefully you’ll start embracing everyone’s ability to be unique and awesome. Would you have the guts to pour your heart out about the one you love on your Instagram stories like that girl in English class did? No, you wouldn’t.

RESPECT the people who are different than you and share the love.