No, Seriously, THANK YOU!

Principle 2 might be my favorite: “Give honest and sincere appreciation. Appreciation is one of the most powerful tools in the world. People will rarely work at their maximum potential under criticism, but honest appreciation brings out their best. Appreciation, though, is not…

Complaining Builds Camaraderie Until You Don’t Want To Complain Anymore

Not even Dale Carnegie would say it doesn’t feel good to complain sometimes! And sometimes, becoming genuinely interested in another person means exploring their complaints and agreeing with them. For some…

Week 1- Do not criticize, condemn, or complain

This first principal wasn’t very hard for me, especially at school. I haven’t gotten into any situations in which I might do one of these restricted behaviors, nor did I try, not as part of this project, but I have always naturally avoided…

Week 2: Give honest and sincere appreciation

I knew that compliments can make someone feel better. Give them a confidence boost, maybe make them think of you as nicer, but I never knew how powerful compliments actually are until I started to observe. I showed appreciation to a lot of people this…

Week 3: Arouse in the person an eager want

I didn’t have many opportunities to use this principle so far, I do have one very good example of a time when it did came of great use to me, and just like last week, it involves teachers.

Week Three: Arouse in the other person an eager want

Hold Your Tongue!

This week, I’m focusing on the first principle from HTWFAIP:

“Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain. Human nature does not like to admit fault. When people are criticized or humiliated, they rarely respond well and will often become defensive and resent their critic. To…

Despite Unlimited Potential, I’m No Salesperson

Why do we do things? Okay, that’s too broad… Why do we choose to do one thing instead of another? That’s too abstract… Let’s start with an example.

Either Laws or Traditions… There’s No Other Way

I’ve been thinking a lot about the differences between liberal and conservative philosophies and how they relate to the Democratic and Republican (and other) parties in the US.

The Trouble When No One Knows What You Want

I think I’ve found one way that Carnegie’s advice is a poor fit for everyday life. It takes us back to principle 3: arouse in the person an eager want. We’ve discussed this principle in terms of focusing on what the other person wants and finding ways to…