Make yourself better


Ever felt miserable, like you don’t mean anything to anyone? Well, think again! You do matter and here are some ideas to make you feel a lot better about your place in the world.

 

2 thoughts on “Make yourself better”

  1. Be More Charming

    It doesn’t matter what you do for a living; it’s all sales. It’s making people feel good about doing business with you, whether business means a cup of coffee, a bite to eat, and a half hour of talk or a night of stolen, steamy bliss. Calling it charm just makes it sound sexy; hell, talking about it at all makes it sound dishonest. It’s not. It’s human nature at its most natural.
    You meet me. My voice is firm and sunny. I’m smiling. A smile is a primal thing, mighty past words. What it comes down to is simple: You have to trust your stuff. I have my flaws — plenty of ’em. But just take a gander at the dark sea of Ghana that passes for competition: I’m a godling by comparison, and so are you.
    The first thing I’m going to say is, “Thanks for making time for me.” Doesn’t matter if you’re Sean Penn or a taxi driver, you don’t owe me squat. We’re going to share a few moments; the only lives we’re ever going to live have joined right here and now. You made that happen; I owe you. Let’s have some fun. The next thing I’m going to do is ask about you. I’m going to learn about you, and I’m going to learn from you. I’m going to make you feel important; because we’re together, you are important. Then comes the coup de grâce: I’m going to make you laugh. I don’t know how to tell you to do this; you must trust your instincts. Genuine laughter is no less than a social orgasm. Provoke it and the world will drop its drawers for you.
    These aren’t tricks. The only trick is that there are no tricks, just a planet full of folks — rich and poor alike — all hoping to get treated better than dirt. I can give them that gift. You can, too.

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  2. Be More Interesting
    It’s all in your conversation.

    1. Listen more than you talk.
    2. If you notice yourself getting bored with what you’re saying, stop talking. Acknowledge the situation. Smile. Move on.
    3. Know a few historical anecdotes. Like this one: To enhance creativity, surrealist painter Salvador Dalí recommended afternoon naps lasting less than a second. He would lie in his chair, arms outstretched, holding a metal key in his left hand. As he drifted off to sleep, his grip would relax and the key would fall, clanging onto a plate he’d set beneath it and waking him up.
    4. But realize that no one likes the guy who knows something about everything.
    5. Let people talk over you. Don’t think of it as being rude; think of it as an assist.
    6. If someone does interrupt you, wait to be prompted before continuing your story. It’s a good sign that someone cared in the first place.
    7. Drawn-out pauses are the best time for personal non sequiturs. People would rather listen to you talk about yourself than nothing.
    8. With people you don’t know, limit stories to the last five minutes of your life — the turnout, the Scotch selection, the homeless man you mistakenly took for a valet.
    9. Never mention your blog.

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