The
world does not revolve around you! Have you ever had a conversation with
another person and you could not get in a word as they were only interested in
talking about themselves? Did you ever hear a speech that was supposed to be
helping the audience learn to do something better and the speaker was stuck on
talking about their problems?
Do
you remember who Scrooge was?
Scrooge
forgot about everyone else too! Charles Dickens wrote his classic story “A
Christmas Carol” in 1843. Dickens describes Ebenezer Scrooge as "The cold within him froze his old features, nipped
his pointed nose, made his eyes red, his thin lips blue, and he spoke out
shrewdly in his grating voice." The “Ghosts of Christmas” visited
Scrooge’s past, present, and future.
Over the course of the story Scrooge sees what he has become and decides
to change.
Today Scrooge represents a “miserly” person who does not care
about others. He or she is self -absorbed and selfish and is only concerned
about him or her self. When this person decides to change and concentrated on
helping others their life takes on one of hope and happiness!
How
would you like to connect better with your family, friends, co-workers, and
your schoolmates?
If you want to connect with others you have to listen to them,
care about them, and be concerned about their welfare. Zig Zigler said it best;
“You
can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people
get what they want.”
Life
is all about connecting with others. A lady in the British aristocracy had dinner
one night with Prime Minister Gladstone and on another night with Prime
Minister Disraeli.
She
was asked what she thought of these two gentlemen.
She
said, “When I left the dining room after sitting
next to Gladstone, I thought he was the cleverest man in England. But when I
sat next to Disraeli I left feeling that I was the cleverest woman."
Prime
Minister Disraeli was a good listener and was interested in knowing all about
the person sitting beside him. He made everyone he came in contact with feel
they were “the cleverest” and “most important person” in the room. Prime
Minister Gladstone was only interested in himself.
Wouldn’t
you like to connect with others just like Prime Minister Disraeli?
Dale
Carnegie wrote “How to Win friends and Influence People”. He said, “You can make more friends in two months by becoming
interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other
people interested in you.” He also said, “Talk to someone about themselves and
they'll listen for hours.”
What are the 3 keys for removing the “Me, Me, Me” from your vocabulary
to be like Prime Minister Disraeli and Dale Carnegie in connecting with others?
1) As Dale
Carnegie said, “Smile. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.”
2) Prime Minister Disraeli
made everyone he came in contact with feel they were “the cleverest” and most
important person in the room by being interested in them.
3) Dale Carnegie said, “Give honest, sincere
appreciation. Appreciation builds our image
faster than any other practice … the success of every job demands cooperation
and effort from others … people contribute to our success as much as we
contribute to theirs.”
By
following these three keys for connecting with others you too will become a
happier, healthier, person full of hope, and you will be thinking of others first, removing the "Me, Me, Me" from your vocabulary!
Madeline Frank, Ph.D., DTM, and Certified World Class Speaking
Coach is an Amazon.com Best Selling Author, John Maxwell Team Member, sought
after speaker, business owner, motivational teacher, researcher, and concert
artist. She helps businesses and organizations "Tune Up their
Businesses". Her innovative observations show you the blue prints
necessary to improve and keep your business successful. www.madelinefrank.com
She writes a monthly newsletter "Madeline's Monthly article
& Musical Tips Blog" and a monthly radio show "Madeline's One
Minute Musical Radio Show". www.madelinefrankviola.com
She has just published her new book "Leadership On A
Shoestring Budget" available through Amazon /Kindle.
Contact Madeline Frank for your next speaking engagement at mfrankviola@gmail.com
