The 7 Habits of Highly Interesting People

I was sitting on a plane today on my way to Uganda. This is my first trip to Uganda and I was sure that I would write something about my first impressions about Kampala. But I was wrong. Slightly in front of me on the opposite side of the aisle was a girl sitting with Stephen Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" on her lap. I don't know how many people have read this book, but I have to admit that I have also read it many years ago when I thought being productive is the way to the top. 'What a load of bullshit' I would learn only later on in life. A summary of Covey's book on the Internet ends with "finally the seventh habit is one of renewal and continual improvement, that is, of building one's personal production capability. To be effective, one must find the proper balance between actually producing and improving one's capability to produce". Doesn't the thought of spending your entire life on earth with the aim of just "producing" make you sick? Next to me was a gentlemen sitting with grey hair and a sunburnt face with quite a few wrinkles. Not the wrinkles of an old man, but of someone who likes spending time outside and who loves to laugh. He must've been in his late 40's I thought at first, but when we started to chat I learned a few things about him that I would never have guessed just by looking at his outer appearance. He was Irish and his name is Joe and he has been working and living in Africa for over thirty years now. We started making conversation after I tried to bite the tomato from my salad in half only to cover his face with tomato juice and pips that squirted out from the side of the tomato. I apologized but he just laughed and thought it was quite funny in fact. We started chatting and he was telling me about his life, or "war stories" as he calls it. I was so intrigued with his experiences that I never stopped listening to him for one minute. He was chatting away with one story after the other, and I was gulping up every word he was saying. Every time when I looked in the direction of the girl who was struggling to get through Covey's first habit I was wondering if there isn't a book called the Seven Habits of Highly Interesting People?" If I ever have a choice between being highly effective or highly interesting I would certainly go for the latter. While coming in for the landing I was wondering what would make a person to be considered highly interesting by others? By looking at Joe and listening to him I tried to make up my own seven criteria of what is needed to be interesting to other people.

1) Be experienced - You cannot be interesting if you haven't had interesting experiences. You need stories to tell, not about yourself but about places and people you have met, things you have seen, hearts you have broken, lives you have saved. Try new hobbies every year, jump from a bridge with a chord aroud your feet and do as many activities as time and money allows. Never miss an opportunity to experience something new.

2) Be knowledgable - Know a bit about everything. You don't have to be an expert on global warming, but at least know that the polar caps are melting. Listen to the news and read the newspaper. Read books. Be aware of the latest technology and happenings. You have to be able to join in the conversation without looking as if you have just arrived from another planet. You need information about topics that other people just wonder about.

3) Remember finer detail - When you tell your stories make sure that you remember the people that you have met, their names and surnames. Remember the exact details when and where it happened. Remember the names of the people you are talking to, they will be the characters in your next story you are going to tell.

4) Be open to people - If you cannot communicate with people they will never know who and what you are. Don't be shy of talking to strangers, and don't be scared to ask them about their lives as well. This is how you gather information and how you create your next adventure. Tell your stories in such a way that people stay interested. Make jokes and show that you enjoy every minute of life.

5) Be different - Do things differently, dress differently from the masses. Stand out and be seen. You don't have to make a fool of yourself to be different, but be confident in what you are doing and saying. Have your opinions and philosophies and stick to it, never force it down other people's throats. Listen to other people's opinions as well. Be open-minded about everything.

6) Be interested - You can travel to a hundred countries, but if you are not interested in the people and their cultures, or what the countries have to offer you will never have interesting experiences and stories to tell. Listen to other people when they have something to tell, and show you are interested in their stories as well, even if they are not nearly as interesting as yours.

7) Stay mysterious - Don't tell people everything about yourself. Let them find out as conversations and time goes on. Surprize them with everything that was mentioned above. It is the best feeling when someone says "I still want to do this or that' and you can reply with "yes, I've done it before, it was awesome". When you meet a new person, don't blabber out everything about yourself. Don't tell them that you scuba dive and skydive and travel the world and do mountain biking and play the piano. One story will automatically go onto the next, and every time when you can fill in your own experiences and knowledge of the topic you will get more interesting by the minute.

Being more interesting isn't about sitting around at home an hour before meeting your friends for dinner and cramming some fun-facts into your head to bring up later. It's also not about "being productive" and earning the highest salary on the block. Even wealth gets boring. It's about living a fun-filled varied life, and really becoming the kind of person who has new things they can introduce to people.

Thanks Joe, you have inspired me to keep on living, doing more things, meeting more people and staying more interested in what the world and people have to offer. I cannot wait for the beer you promised to buy next time you visit Cape Town...