Midweek update and Gummy bears

As you may have noticed from the cop out post on Monday, this week is a little bit busy for me.  Today's post will also be slightly abbreviated due to me having to get back to work.

Today you get a video about gummy bears.  I discovered this all on my own, but I'm not sure why I was stretching the gummy bears to begin with...

The Carnegie Project update

As many of you know, I'm reading through Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, one chapter per week, and writing my reflections on it.  Thanks for following along.

One thing I really appreciate about this book, is that the chapters are simply stories from people's lives, short anecdotes about how the principle applies.  It's a light read.

Previous Principles

Part A: Fundamental techniques in handling people

1. Don't criticize, condemn or complain

2. Give honest and sincere appreciation

3. Frame things in terms of what other people want

Part B: Six ways to make people like you

4. Become genuinely interested in other people

5. Smile

6. Remember people's names

7. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves

8. - Talk in terms of the other person's interests.

I found this principle very related to the previous one. Again, a good principle.  You learn a lot by asking about what other people are interested in, and speaking about those things.

But oh boy I messed up today.  Got introduced to someone named Erin and at the end of the conversation I said 'Well it was nice to meet you, Laura'.  When I was corrected I felt bad, and as I left I passed someone I should have recognized but totally didn't. She said hi to me and my response was "oh... have we met?"  Oh me oh my.

This week's principle

9. - Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely

General idea:  

• Everyone needs to feel important

• You do people a great service when you find things that are special about them and admire them.

I think this basically sums up the whole section.  Everything to this point has been various facets of the same thing: Making other people feel like you consider them to be important. And more than that: actually considering them to be important.  Carnegie makes his point with anecdotes and stories, but it really boils down to this one point.  And it makes total sense... who wouldn't want to spend time with someone who makes them feel like their lives are worth something?