Basically what the underlying meaning of this advice is that in life there are lots of ups and downs. Sometimes you will be doing well in life and you will feel on top of the world. You will be succeeding in everything you’re doing, you will be happy, making lots of money and performing well in whatever you do in life. But then on the flip side you will find there are times when things just are not going right for you and your not making much money, your not performing well and you’re certainly not succeeding in the things that you set out to achieve in life.

This advice of being nice to people on the way up because you are sure to meet them on they way down is a piece of advice that I have tried to live by my whole life. I have certainly seen when I was younger that my parents were doing well and successful in business and then sadly came a time when they were really down on their luck and financially struggled for many years.

The biggest eye opener for me was seeing that when the times were good my parents had a lot of friends who wanted to know then and socialize with them quite a lot. However, when the going got tough and my parents were struggling financially many of those “so called” friends were no where to be found.

I guess anyone can take this advice and apply it to their own lives but for me it was an amazing life lesson to learn early on that your true friends will stick with you through good times and bad times. Often fair-weather friends will only want to know you when you are doing well and are very popular. Unfortunately, these people tend to lack integrity and substance, and unfortunately there are many people like this around.

Life lessons I have learnt

From taking on this advice from an early age and seeing with my own eyes how people treat each other during good and bad times I now find that I take a long time to warm to people and make “good” friends. This is probably not a bad thing though, I mean I can still be sociable with everyone but when it comes to establishing a true friend I find that it can take many years of knowing a person to get to know their true character.

I must say that I do not make good friends easily but the good friends that I do have are extremely precious to me and I would do anything for them.

The other major lesson that I have learnt over time from this life advice that was given to me early was to not try to be friends or nice to people because you feel you will benefit from being around them. I always try to make an extra effort to make time for the shy person in the group, or the less fortunate or the person who seems to be a bit down on their luck. It is not a matter of seeking something in return when they are back up doing well but instead it comes down to a matter of kindness to others who are not doing so well. Only positive things can come from putting aside your ego when things are going great for you because life is full of ups and downs and you are sure to find yourself at some stage in life not doing so well and it is at this point in your life that you will hope that other people you know treat you with the same respect that you gave them when the tables were turned.

People generally respect and appreciate you more if you are not full of self-importance and egotistical – whether they show this or not it is on a whole what people think.

Controlling the EGO

 But really this advice is all about how you treat people through those ups and downs in life. Far too often I have seen in life that when people are doing well, making lots of money and they are on top of their game we quickly see their EGO take control of them and sadly they can often treat people around them in a way which lacks respect. The ego can be blamed for a person behaving with a level of significance, self-importance and thinking that everyone else is not as good as they are or not as significant or important as they are.

The problem with a persons ego is that it is an undesirable inner voice which influences they you perceive yourself. I think renowned self-development guru Dr Wayne Dyer describes the EGO well when he says:

“The ego is only an illusion, but a very influential one. Letting the ego-illusion become your identity can prevent you from knowing your true self. Ego, the false idea of believing that you are what you have or what you do, is a backwards way of assessing and living life.” Dr Wayne Dyer

How to be humble?

Get your EGO in check. Put yourself in another persons shoes who may be worse off that you are and think to yourself how you would like to be treated if you were in their position.

Refrain from being judgmental towards other people who are less fortunate than you are because at the end of the day you often will not know the path that they have taken in life to put them where they are today.

But most of all be humble about any success that comes your way. You will often see some of the most successful and talented people in the world are extremely humble about how good they are and this is because they do not need to tell everyone about their success and talents because people already know. They walk the walk not just talk the talk, so to speak.

Relating this back to the life advice I was given as a child – to be nice to the people on the way up because you are sure to meet them on the way down – it is extremely important to be respectful and kind to people around you in the times when things are going great for you because as sure as the sky is blue there will be down times for you where things in life won’t be as great for you and you may just need a shoulder to lean on or some assistance from someone who has experience in going through the tough times.

Others will be far more willing to support you during the tough times you go through if you have a track record of establishing respect towards other people.

It is fantastic life advice that I have always tried to live by because the tables always turn and life is full of ups and downs. Don’t let success, money or power influence the way in which you treat your fellow humans.

Life Lessons You Can Take Away Today 

• Be nice to everyone around you when you are doing well in life.
• If things are going good then treat less fortunate people with respect & don’t act as though they are beneath you in life – they are still human and have strong feelings.
• Be wary of people who want to be friends with you when times are good but distance themselves when you are not doing so well – these are fair-weather friends that you don’t need.
• Do not be friends with people just to seek something in return other than mutual respect and friendship.
• Understand that life is a roller coaster full of ups and downs and because of this you should not judge others for the position they are currently in – because as sure as shit you will also go through some tough times as well.
• Be kind to everyone, especially those least expecting it.
• Be humble about your success.
• Do not let egotistical people worry you when your chips are down.
• Take the time to get to know people to get to know their true character.

Love yourself, your family and your friends – be kind to one another.