"Must Be Nice"
"Must be nice" just crossed your mind — catch it crossing.
"Must Be Nice" is one of the 108 practices in 108 Moments. It is a mindfulness practice you do with your eyes open, in the middle of an ordinary day. There is nothing to sit down for. You carry one line with you, and each time you catch the moment it describes, that counts.
How to try it today
- Read the line once in the morning: "Must be nice" just crossed your mind — catch it crossing.
- Go about your day. When you catch it happening, that is one moment.
- Count it. Move a bead, or tap once in the app.
- Aim for eighteen moments. Fewer still counts, and a missed day is not a failure.
How to practice "Must Be Nice"
What to look for
*Must be nice* — to have that schedule, that metabolism, that house, that easy confidence. The thought arrives on its own, fully formed, lightly soured. The catch is hearing it — and letting "good for them" come in right behind it, like a correction in the margin. The common miss is trying to suppress the first thought. Don't bother. It's a reflex; the second thought is the practice.
Why it works
"Must be nice" is envy wearing casual clothes — small enough to seem harmless, frequent enough to set a tone. Each one files someone's good under *unfairly distributed*, and a day of those filings adds up to a worldview. The follow-up thought doesn't argue with the first; it just refuses the filing. Run the pair enough times and the sequence becomes one move — the sour note arrives, the correction lands, and the whole exchange is over in a second, resolved in your favor.
Where you might catch it
Scrolling at breakfast
A friend posts a photo from a beach. Your thumb pauses, and the thought shows up: must be nice. That is the catch. Hear it, then let good for them follow right behind. You don't need to like the post or feel warm about it. Just notice the pair and keep scrolling.
Stuck on the commute
Traffic is crawling. A neighbor's new car glides past in the next lane, or someone on the train mentions working from home on Fridays. Must be nice arrives before you choose it. Catch the moment it lands. Then add good for them, quietly, like a note in the margin. That counts as one.
The Monday meeting
A coworker mentions their kids sleep through the night, or that they just got back from a long trip. Your face stays polite. Inside, a small sour voice says must be nice. Catch it there, mid-meeting. Let good for them come in behind it. Nobody else needs to know it happened.
School drop-off line
Another parent looks rested, dressed, and on time. Their kid has both shoes on. Yours is still eating toast in the back seat. Must be nice crosses your mind in a flash. That flash is the catch. Follow it with good for them and pull forward. One moment, done.
Lunch in the break room
Someone eats a huge plate of pasta and mentions they never gain a pound. Or they talk about a house with a big yard. The thought comes fast: must be nice. Notice it without scolding yourself. Then let good for them land right after. The pair is the whole practice here.
Waiting for the kettle
You check your phone while the water heats. A friend has a new job title, or a sibling booked a trip. Must be nice drifts through before the kettle clicks. Catch it crossing. Let good for them follow, plain and simple. Then pour the tea. It takes about a second.
If it isn't clicking
The first thought feels too mean to admit
That is normal. Must be nice is a reflex, not a verdict on who you are. Everyone has it. Trying to push it away just hides it, and then you miss the catch. Let it show up. Hearing it clearly is the point. Good for them does the rest.
Good for them sounds fake when it comes
It often will at first. You are not required to mean it fully. The second thought is a correction, not a feeling you must produce. Say it plainly in your head and move on. Over many catches it tends to sound less forced. For now, saying it counts.
The thought is gone before it registers
It moves fast, so give it a hook. Pick the places it shows up most for you: social feeds, a certain coworker, the school pickup line. When you enter those spots, expect it. You will start hearing it as it passes. Even catching it a minute late still counts as a moment.
Six levels deep
This page covers the first level. In the app, "Must Be Nice" goes six levels deep, with its own line at each one. The move stays the same. Only where you point it changes.
- NoticeJust catch it. Nothing else. There is no wrong answer.
- RelateCatch it. Then notice how you took it.
- Turn TowardPoint it at the hard stuff on purpose.
- SteadyDo it on bad days too. Tired days. Busy days.
- WidenPoint it wider. Strangers. Crowds. People you avoid.
- RadiateSpot a chance to pass it on. Taking it is up to you.
Questions
Is it normal to feel envious of friends?
Yes. Small flashes of envy are a common part of daily life. They often show up as quick thoughts like must be nice. Noticing them is not the same as acting on them. Catching the thought and adding good for them keeps it small and passing.
How do you stop comparing yourself to others?
This practice does not try to stop comparison. The comparing thought will still arrive. What changes is what comes next. Each time you catch must be nice, you follow it with good for them. That second thought interrupts the habit of keeping score on other people's lives.
What is the difference between envy and jealousy?
In everyday use, envy is wanting what someone else has. Jealousy is fear of losing something you already have. Must be nice is usually envy. It is about their schedule, their house, their ease. Naming it simply can make the catch easier to spot.
How long does "Must Be Nice" take?
Each catch takes a second or two. You do not set time aside. The practice runs in the background of whatever you are already doing, and you count the moments you catch.
Is this meditation?
Not the sit-down kind. It is informal mindfulness: paying attention on purpose during ordinary moments, with your eyes open and your day still moving.
Do I need the necklace?
No. The app keeps count for you. The necklace is an optional way to keep count with your hands: eighteen beads, two strands of nine.