Making much of others
“It's that wonderful old-fashioned idea that others come first and you come second.This was the whole ethic by which I was brought up. Others matter more than you do, so 'don't fuss, dear; get on with it.'” Audrey Hepburn
I recently spent time with a friend who could barely get a word in edgewise.
I tried (honestly I tried) to get her to tell me more about her week, her activities, her life, but she wouldn't have it.
When I prodded her for updates she say, "Oh my stories aren't very good," then she would ask me another question. Then there would be a follow-up question. And another. And another.
Minutes would pass and I realized I hadn't just dominated the conversation, I was having a monologue.
I don't believe this was a diversionary tactic as much as it was the way this friend rolls; she consistently makes the lives of others bigger and more important than her own.
She doesn't fight for air time. She doesn't elbow in her opinions. She isn't consumed with being heard or understood.
My friend (she'd die if I gave you her name) is an exceptional person in so many ways, but she most consistently personifies this one truth: she is interesting precisely because she's interested.
I could do to be more like her. How about you?