always have a story...

written by Matthew Rensberry, MD MBA on 2014-08-12

The other day, I read an online article about what makes people interesting (unfortunately, I cannot find this article now that I want to quote it).

Every person has something interesting to share. I find myself captivated, at times, in the process of encouraging others to discuss with me their interesting experiences. This listening takes practice and I am by no means an expert. I believe listening to what other people say and allowing the conversation to flow instead of steering it is the key to being interested, interesting, and enjoying the time together with others.

The article was geared towards showing how to become more interesting to others, and one of the points was to always have a story to share. Many times, we forget the fun experiences we have had, and when it is our turn to share a story, we cannot remember what to talk about.

A strategy is to write down the experiences you have had and want to remember to share with others.

For example, here is what I did this past weekend:

Volunteered with some children in need for an outdoor field day type activity as a last thing before school started for them
Refereed two Women's Flat Track Roller Derby bouts
Watched Guardians of the Galaxy in 3D
Introduced my dog and a friends dog to another dog and let them have some dog playtime
Went to the zoo

Each of these experiences was fun and something I can expound on if the time arises in a conversation.

There is evidence (see reference below) that having a daily habit of writing 3 things that make you feel good will make you a happier person and feel better about your life. This is another way to do just that.

Reference:

Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: Experimental studies of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84 , 377-389.