Barely Talk and Listen Much

Mark Twain once wrote that "[t]here are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded."

I have to admit, I have been in that second pool of people. I see it all the time. It seems to be a push for respect. Someone talks to you and makes you feel comfortable and within a minute you are telling them everything they didn't ask for. We leave them thinking to ourselves, "They are impressed". What we fail to realize most of the time, is that they are being nice. A common courtesy that Dale Carnegie recommends to everyone trying to gain friendship and respect: "Let the other person do the greater deal of talking."

I now feel that anyone accomplished has no need to prove themselves. In truth, they are the ones sought after, the ones respected and well thought of. I have to admit, after learning this I realized how insanely selfish it is to talk away and try to impress the other person. It's kind of embarassing to know that I am being tolerated. Needless to say, I need to learn the art of not talking enough and listening too much.