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Hi Everyone,
 A while back, a friend of mine was talking about a new love interest she’d met. She went into great detail about his physical traits, his career success, and his financial achievements. But the icing on the cake—the one trait she saved for last—was, “And he’s SO NICE!”
Being called nice is the ultimate compliment. Beautiful bodies are a dime a dozen, but how wonderful it is when you discover a stud or a hottie who’s also nice. You can walk into any busy restaurant and find lots of cranky waitresses or waiters, but what a pleasure it is to be served by someone nice.
On the other hand, you’ve probably met people somewhere along the line who impressed you with their wit, charm, style, success, money, or perhaps their celebrity. Then you got to know them and discovered that they weren’t nice. Perhaps they had a constant dribble of negativity toward others. Maybe every other word out of their mouths was about how wonderful they were and how awful some other person was. From that point on, any positive trait or talent they had seemed instantly invalidated. When you’re not nice, everything else goes right down the drain.
You could attend a party driving the finest car and wearing the perfect clothes—but with a nasty, judgmental attitude—and what lasting impression would you leave? Not nice. But attend the same party, driving the same car and wearing the same clothes—and smile as you introduce yourself and ask people questions about themselves—and you’ll be known as the most available bachelor or bachelorette in town.
This month’s newsletter includes some valuable secrets for success, but the number one, must-have key to a successful life is simply to BE NICE! Thanks for helping me live my fantasy of spreading this BE NICE message and giving nice people a voice.
XOXO, Winn
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Do you have a BE NICE story to share? Send it to stories@BeNiceOrElse.com. If it appears in the newsletter, you’ll receive a free BE NICE T-shirt and CD!
These letters made my day and warmed my heart. I love the way these individuals are creating and celebrating the BE NICE message.
Dear Winn,
I have been following your Be Nice culture for many years now. Once I read your book, I signed up for the newsletter and am inspired every month I receive it. In a recent edition, you challenged companies to do something nice over the holiday season. I want to share with you what our company does.
 I work in an IT/Customer Service department for Rogers Communications, here in Ontario. Every year, our department holds a 50/50 contest, with the profits used to buy toys for local charities and hospitals. This year was record breaking. The winning ticket won almost $900, which meant that almost $900 went toward toy purchases. The attached picture shows a portion of the toys purchased, as more than half had already been delivered. In addition, our “elves” who purchased the toys put their deal finding to good use, purchasing from a store that offered a $100 gift card when X amount of dollars were spent. So we were able to extend our giving even further!
I am so proud and honored to work with such an amazing group of people who perhaps don’t even realize they’re living up to the Be Nice culture! In addition to our toy drive, we hold bake sales for our local Humane Society and food drives for our local food bank. Even though Rogers is a national company, they do so much to help us give back on a local basis.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my email. I will continue to keep an eye on my inbox for the next newsletter.
With love,
Jolene Knott
My Life as a Daymaker author David Wagner posted this touching story on Facebook. Follow David’s lead and look everywhere for opportunities to BE NICE. You never whose day you will make!
 I had the most incredible Daymaker experience yesterday at SFO. I was going through security and I always opt out of the new X-ray screening, which means I have to have a personal pat down and it usually irritates the TSA people. The guy that came to meet me was in such a bad mood. When he asked which of the bins were mine going thru the belt I accidentally bumped his foot with mine. “Stay away from my feet” he barked. As we were waiting for my other bin, a man asked him what time it was. “9:48” he replied and when the man walked away without saying anything he barked to the man, “You’re welcome” and shook his head. Oh boy, I thought, this is going to be a fun pat down. After he was done I thanked him for his patience and told him that I was a cancer survivor and sensitive to any more radiation in my body and I did not want to wake up any cells, etc. He looked at me with tears in his eyes. “My father died of cancer and you just changed my life and how I see passengers every day. Thank you,” he said. We shook hands as we made each other’s day. What a great day at the airport!
Dear Winn,
About a month ago, an organization contacted our cosmetology school and asked if we would be willing to teach basic hair and makeup skills to a group of ladies who are trying to reenter the workforce. We immediately said yes ... but nothing could have prepared us for how incredible and inspiring this event would be. The eight ladies who joined us had experienced barriers to employment, ranging from poverty to drug abuse to domestic violence, so being happy and caring (Be Nice!) was the theme of the day.
 When the ladies arrived, I introduced myself, talked for a bit about our technical curriculum and company, but most important, our culture. Since no one can explain our culture better than you, I shared your “I’m Possible” video with the group. As you can imagine, this hit very close to home and was a wonderful start to our event. The ladies introduced themselves and so did our students, who also shared how much the school means to them and how much it has changed and impacted their lives. One of the students called us her family and another said that our school had saved her. With a lot of tears and so much gratefulness, we began our event. For three hours, the students created magic and made these women feel beautiful and cared for. They were taking pictures of each other, smiling and laughing, and one woman looked in the mirror and asked, “Is that even me?”
I am so proud of our team and our students. This event truly represented our BE NICE culture and we all walked away a little more grateful for our jobs, our company, and the amazing opportunity we’ve been given to make a difference. Before leaving, the organization’s representative gave me a hug, thanked me, and said that if there is ever anything they can do for us to let her know. I told her she had no idea how much she had done for us already!
Stephanie Melvin
Lexington, Kentucky
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THE STARS COME OUT FOR CHARITY
Betty White, Fran Drescher, Donny and Marie Osmond, John Schneider, Magic Johnson, Gary Sinise, Megyn Price, and Kathy Buckley Join Paul Mitchell Schools’ 2013 “FUNraising” Campaign
For the 10th straight year, the 16,000 cosmetology students and staff members from the nationwide network of Paul Mitchell Schools spent the months of February through April raising money for charitable organizations. Their goal: To take their grand total over the $11 million mark by raising $2.5 million this year. Their partners: A host of superstar celebrities representing 11 spectacular charities. They raised $2.5 million last year … could they do it again?
YES! The 101 Paul Mitchell Schools raised over $2.6 million for charity, bringing their 10-year total to over $11.2 million.
The results were announced on Sunday, May 5, at the FUNraising Gala dinner, the highlight of the annual campaign, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. This year’s gala was co-hosted by the school's dean and cofounder Winn Claybaugh, and comedian/motivational speaker Kathy Buckley, with special guests Betty White, Fran Drescher, Megyn Price, and John Schneider, plus representatives of the other supported charities and other surprise guests. Country superstar Sara Evans entertained, along with a special appearance by actress and singer Tichina Arnold of Happily Divorced.
“We are absolutely thrilled that Betty White, Donny and Marie Osmond, Gary Sinise, Magic Johnson, Fran Drescher, and Kathy Buckley partnered with us again this year,” Winn said, “and we are so excited to add actress Megyn Price to our ‘FUNraising’ family. Each of these incredible individuals played an active role in motivating and encouraging our 16,000 future professionals as they participated in thousands of grassroots events, from cut-a-thons and car washes to fashion shows and charity balls. Our partners are members of an elite group of wonderful celebrities who’ve supported us in the past, including Dolly Parton, Larry King, Vidal Sassoon, and Leeza Gibbons.”
For more details about this year's campaign, visit www.paulmitchell.edu.
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Emily Garcia
Be Nice (Or Else!) Team Leader
 Emily Garcia, who leads the Be Nice (Or Else!) team at a Virginia Beach cosmetology school, frequently takes her team to “give back” to their local community. In January, Emily and ten students from her Be Nice (Or Else!) team participated in Project Homeless Connect, an annual event designed to get an accurate count of homeless people in the community while providing them with information about housing, medical care, food, and other services. Emily and her group performed 95 haircuts in five hours. The event was featured on local TV, and Emily and her students were on the news: http://www.wvec.com/news/Va-Beach-working-to-connect-with-the-homeless--188226471.html
Emily has attended five “haircuts for the homeless” events and says, “I love leading this team! To have the opportunity to spread our BE NICE culture of love and kindness to the larger community is one of the things I love about my job. The students were all so thankful to be able to give back and were incredibly humbled by the experience.”
Most recently, Emily and her team visited a local nursing home to celebrate Valentine’s Day with the residents. They delivered handmade cards created by their classmates, mingled with the residents during their Valentine’s social, and joined them on the dance floor.
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Devin Alexander
 Media personality, healthy comfort food chef, weight loss expert, and New York Times bestselling author Devin Alexander is the host of America’s Chefs on Tour, which is currently airing on National Public Broadcasting stations (PBS). Devin’s unique approach to healthy cooking and her motivational personal story have landed her appearances on more weight loss and fitness shows than any other food expert or nutritionist in America. Having maintained her 70-pound weight loss for over 16 years, she lives and eats her message: you don’t have to deprive yourself to be fit and healthy.
Devin has shared her secrets for her unbelievably decadent yet healthy foods as the host of Healthy Decadence on Discovery Fit and Health TV from 2007 to 2011 and through frequent appearances on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Biggest Loser, Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, The Doctors, Dr. Drew, The View, Celebrity Fit Club, Discovery Health’s National Body Challenge, FOX, CNN, HGTV, USA, Style Network, and others as well as through over 400 magazine features including Prevention, Women’s Health, Men’s Health and Shape. She has served as culinary advisor to Men’s Fitness magazine and cooking expert to Women’s Health.
After 9 years as the owner and executive chef of Café Renee Catering, Devin now travels the country lecturing and consulting for major U.S. food and cookware companies. She’s on the Advisory Board of the American Culinary Federation’s Chef & Child Foundation, the Larry King Foundation’s Go-To-Chef program to speak on “Obesity in America,” and she recently returned from the White House as part of Michelle Obama’s Chefs Move to Schools program.
Interviewed by Winn Claybaugh, Devin shares her inspiring personal story plus dozens of simple strategies for successful weight management. Her commonsense, down-to-earth advice includes sayings like, “If life gives you lemons, turn them into lemon bundt cakes!”
If you enjoyed this month’s audio message, CLICK HERE to join the thousands of subscribers all over the world and receive MASTERS Audio Club, now available in CD and MP3!
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The Five Secrets to Success
By Winn Claybaugh
In my career, I’ve never assumed that I was the smartest person in the room, nor the most talented. But that certainly wasn’t going to hold me back if I did these five things:
- Continue to educate yourself, and become a life-long learner. You could be 90 years old and still have an attitude of “beginner’s luck,” where everything’s brand new and everything’s an adventure. A commitment to lifelong learning and educating yourself makes you a visionary and sets you up for success. You will never graduate fully from learning and experiencing all you need to know.
- Improve yourself personally by focusing on your health, wellness, and personal relationships. I believe our lives and our own personal stories are meant to help other people, so I’m honored and humbled to share this with you: I’ve now celebrated 11 years of being drug-free. Sometimes people ask, “How can I be more successful in my industry or in school?” Sometimes the solution to getting unstuck and advancing in your career is to join a gym. Quit smoking. Improve your relationships. Sign up for a cancer walk. Without improving yourself personally, you lose credibility and the momentum you need.
- When all else fails, work really, really HARD! Be the first to arrive and the last to leave. Say yes to everything. We’d all love to have it all tomorrow: to hit one tennis ball and be ready for Wimbledon. It doesn’t work that way. Give yourself permission to start doing the things that you love to do and work really, really hard. Never underestimate how far hard work will take you.
- Be the most positive person in a room! Can you become a brain surgeon overnight? No, that would take years. Can you become a visionary overnight? Yes! Can you become the most positive person in your school, your workplace, your family, your neighborhood or your circle of friends starting tomorrow? Yes! Bottom line: you are paid and you are successful because of your positive attitude.
- And finally: Develop a daily attitude and ritual of showing gratitude. If you believe in the Law of Attraction, you know that what you put out there comes back to you. Be thankful for what you have, and more good things will come your way.
Winn shared the 5 Secrets to Success with 3,000 students at the Paul Mitchell Schools 2013 Caper event.
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Make Your Business Personal in an Internet World
 More and more people are using the latest technology, Internet, and social media tools in their businesses, companies, and organizations, but in today’s hi-tech world what can sometimes be missing is the personal touch. I experience this all the time on my Facebook page with over 15,000 fans: if I post something about my business, it generates a little excitement. But when I post something about my daughter Sofia, I get “likes,” comments, and feedback like you wouldn’t believe! Yes, I am proud to promote my companies, but I’m also a dad, a husband, a loving son, and a passionate human being. And when I share that side of me, I make a connection with people I’ve never met before.
Bottom line: Your business blogging and posts don’t always have to be about your business. Let people know that you are a passionate human being and that your loyalty to your workplace is perhaps rooted with a personal story. How did you get connected with your organization? What do you love about it? People often tell me they’re so passionate about their work for very personal reasons, such as: “They were there for me when my mom passed away,” or “They believed in me long before I believed in myself,” or “They helped me develop the strength to turn my life around.”
Many companies are using technology to promote themselves. In addition to talking about what you sell, you can set yourself apart by also talking about why you sell it. I sell my organization’s services because, as a dad, a husband, a son, and a human being, I am able to use my influence, my voice, and my workplace platform to make a difference, create awareness, and even change and save lives. What’s your story? Why do you promote your organization?
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“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
– Vidal Sassoon
“Some people dream of great accomplishments, while others stay awake and do them.”
– Anonymous
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
– Maya Angelou
“Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others.”
– Danny Thomas, actor, producer, and comedian
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 The BE NICE Store. If you’re committed to Being Nice and bringing more personal success and enrichment into your life, you’ll want to take advantage of these powerful resources from Winn Claybaugh.
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 Past Newsletters Archive. Browse through eight years of BE NICE messages, just waiting to make you smile again. |
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 Newsletter Signup. Don't miss a single issue of Be Nice (Or Else) The Newsletter! Best of all...it's free! |
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  Attention Beauty Industry Professionals and Future Professionals! Check out the Paul Mitchell Schools Newsletter! CLICK HERE to sign up now! |
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David Wagner
