Maximise Your Social Potential

Have you chanced upon a person who's so naturally sociable that
when you put him/her inside a room full of strangers, he/she will
end up friends with virtually everybody? We usually call this sort
of person a "people person". He or she automatically knows how
to maximise their social potential. While some people can do this
automatically and unconsciously, others will need to learn the
secrets.

Learning to be a people person is a great way to empower
yourself. You just have to know how to begin. Listed below are
ten great ways to start.

1. Be genuine.

Hypocrisy will simply bring you all the way down every time.
Once it is sensed that you are Mr. Hypocrite with selfish
intentions, you might as well say goodbye to meeting and keeping
new friends. Be genuinely nice, and interested in people.

2. Be a great listener.

To earn the love and trust of people, listen to their problems and
sympathize with them. Do not just hear them out, listen to them
with your heart. Make eye contact when a person talks to you.
Listen as if every word matters, and it does. By doing so you will
earn people's trust and confidence.

3. Laugh easily and often.

Find the humor in life. A person exuding a wonderful sense of
humor attracts crowds and sooner or later, attracts success. Just
remember; be genuine - if you don't get the joke or it's just not
funny - don't fake laugh. People will see straight through you.

4. Don't forget yourself.

In the process of fluttering about on your social campaign, you
could forget the real you. Remember to love and appreciate
yourself before anyone else. If you see yourself as respectable and
deserving of affection, people will pick up on that and treat you
accordingly.

5. Perform random acts of kindness.

It's not necessary to give all of your savings to charity. Just
small acts of kindness count here. This can be as basic as giving
someone you may know a surprise "thank you", "get well soon",
or "take-care" card or helping an elderly person across the street.
Good deeds are great deeds. You'll feel better for it too.

6. Contact old friends.

Revisit the good old days by searching through your old records
and look for those great people whom you would like to
communicate with again - and do it! I recently attended a school reunion and met old friends I had not seen for 40 years. It was magic!

7 Personality makeover.

Are you grumpy, crabby and generally moody? Well stop! you
can't experience life to the full like that. Abolish the bad traits
and habits that constantly hinder your growth. And anyhow, who
wants a bad-tempered friend?

8. Act confident (even if you don't feel it).

Adopt the ability to stride to the opposite corner of a room and
present yourself to people with a winning smile. Practice makes perfect. Remember to be confident - not arrogant.

9. Exercise restraint.

When angered, don't snap at anybody. Never throw a tantrum.
Always stay calm and poised. Be grownup enough to take control
of a situation and transform your wrath into something more
profitable and peaceful. Once people think that you have a hair
trigger temper, they will find it difficult to trust you. The
smartest person in a room is always the peacemaker.

10. Continue fostering your relationships.

The great relationships you have built with all the people you
have in your life are far too precious to let slip and lose. Treat
these friendships and relationships like gold and they will return
diamonds. Get out and have fun with these people. Start to and
keep doing things together on a regular basis. Happiness will
never be far from you as long as the people who count the most
are close to you.

Maximising your social potential means becoming a better and
more likable and lovable person. It's a win-win situation: the
people you know will know they can turn to you anytime and
vice-versa.

A quote for you: "The greatest discovery of this generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitude of mind" - Albert Schweitzer

A book for you: "How To Change Your Life" by Ernest Holmes and Michael Bernard Beckwith.