But, you first.
The art of being interesting relies largely on the skill of being interested. One has to be keen enough to listen, to remember and to express what one can recall. It’s about tiny gestures that can make the biggest difference. Dale Carnegie, in his book How to Win Friends and Influence People, mentioned some really interesting people. You might ask, how were they interesting? The simple answer is that they were interested in others.
Howard Thurston, a stage magician from Columbus who ran away from home and practically had nothing, owned two things that others didn’t i.e. ability to put forth his personality and the knowledge of human nature. His audience loved him for his genuine interest in people.
Dale Carnegie also talked about George Dyke whose interest in every musician he met led to him being recognized among country music fans as “Uncle George, the Fiddle Scraper from Kinzua County.” Unlike most old people, he was enjoying every minute of his life even in his 70’s. There are many other examples in the book, along with Carnegie’s own where he showed interest by remembering the birthdays of his friends. All of these, lead to one single principle:
When I tried applying this principle in my own life, the response was quite interesting. My friends were more open about the current difficulties that they were facing. The catharsis helped them ease up a little bit. It also made me more aware of where they stood in their life, without any filter. I realized that it helps to respect each other more and feel grateful for having such support in your life.
Therefore, ‘But, you first’ can change a lot in your life. Today, if you put other’s interests first then someday, you’ll be their first interest.
