How to Become a More Interesting Person

All of us know people who haven’t made any positive changes in their lives since they got their high school diploma. When you see them in the grocery store or at a dinner party, your inclination after ten minutes of conversation is to make an excuse like, “Hey, I need to touch base with Shirley over there,” and move on.

They talk about the weather or their latest trip to the hospital or maybe how great things were when they were kids. There’s no life, no challenge in spending time with them. If you are a person who’s learned to connect deeply with others, you avoid spending much time with these people.

Is that selfish? No, it’s just that you’re not satisfied with the status quo any longer. You’re hungry for more. That’s a good thing.

If being a creative, life-giving person is what you’re after, here are some pointers to help you get there.

• Stoke the intensity of your desire to learn – people who read, learn, and grow are the most interesting people to hang with.
• Connect with people – you can have a wealth of information you’ve learned but if you don’t genuinely care about others and build a relationship that earns you the right to speak, you’ll just come across an a compulsive learning-geek.
• Be willing to fail – anytime you set out to learn a new skill or take a leap in a new direction the threat of failure looms. Willingness to fail is the road to achievement.
• Nurture curiosity – follow your natural inclinations to learn about what interests you. This quote says it all: “Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people.” Leo Burnett
• Challenge your assumptions – Re-examine what you believe about life, about what’s most important, about your purpose. Doubt is healthy. Don’t be afraid of it. Kill those sacred cows if you have to, if you find out that something you’ve believed for years simply isn’t the truth.

My idea of the perfect evening is an assortment of friends around the table, great food, candles glowing, conversations high, and topics deep. Pointless, surface conversations bore. They don’t make you or me a better person. Throwing these kind of parties is part of practicing my art. It’s my gift to the world. So is writing blogs.

I spend a lot of time thinking about how to live more intentionally and how to inspire others to do the same. It’s the main reason I write. You and I have traveled some pretty rough roads in our lives and sharing our grace stories is a way we honor God and inspire others.

How do you share your art? What gifts do you have to bless us with? Leave a comment and get the conversation started.