Category: Learnings

Learnings

Find out what people are interested in and talk about that

Chris Labs

Mr. Duvernoy had been trying to sell bread to a certain New York hotel. He had called on the manager every week for four years. He went to the same social affairs the manager attended. He even took rooms in the hotel and lived there in order to get the business. But he failed. “Then,” said Mr. Duvernoy, “after studying human relations, I resolved to change my tactics. I decided to find out what interested this man – what caught his enthusiasm. “I discovered he belonged to a society of hotel executives called the Hotel Greeters of America. He not … Continue reading Find out what people are interested in and talk about that

Learnings

Remember that the people you are talking to are a hundred times more interested in themselves and their wants and problems than they are in you and your problems.

Chris Labs

A person’s toothache means more to that person than a famine in China which kills a million people. -Principle 4, How to Win Friends and Influence People, p.123 Continue reading Remember that the people you are talking to are a hundred times more interested in themselves and their wants and problems than they are in you and your problems.

Happiness, Learnings

How much is your time really worth?

Chris Labs

“At this point, I was worth 125$/hour. Then I made the decision, if there’s anything I’ve been doing with my time, that could be done by spending less than 125$ an hour, then I’d be an idiot by doing it. If I enjoy it, it’s a different story, but if I’m not, it’s just stupid. So I paired that kind of idea, what kind of value would I place on my time? Even if I paid a premium, if I paid someone 75$ an hour for someone to mow my lawn, it would be worth it. Most people don’t value … Continue reading How much is your time really worth?

Learnings

Set your hourly rate at a 1000$ an hour

Chris Labs

You can’t penny pinch your way to wealth You can spend your life however you want. But if you want to get rich, it has to be your top priority. It has to come before anything else, which means you can’t penny-pinch. This is what people don’t understand. My aspirational rate was $5,000/hr Fast-forward to your wealthy self and pick an intermediate hourly rate. Before I had any real money and you could hire me, I set an aspirational rate of $5,000 an hour. Of course, I still ended up doing stupid things like arguing with the electrician or returning … Continue reading Set your hourly rate at a 1000$ an hour

Learnings

Do what it takes to remember the name of the people you meet

Chris Labs

Napoleon the Third, Emperor of France and nephew of the great Napolean, boasted that in spite of all his royal duties he could remember the name of every person he met. His technique? Simple. If he didn;t hear the name distinctly, he said, “So sorry. I didn’t get the name clearly.” Then, if it was an unusual name, he would say, “How is it spelled?” During the conversation, he took the trouble to repeat the name several times, and tried to associate it in his mind with the person’s features, expression and general appearance. All this takes time, but “Good … Continue reading Do what it takes to remember the name of the people you meet

Happiness, Learnings

Smile, always smile. Even if you’re sad

Chris Labs

The Value of a smile at Christmas It costs nothing, but creates much. It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give. It happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None are so rich they can get along without it, and none so poor but are richer for its benefits. It creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in a business, and is the countersign of friends. It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and Nature’s best antidote for trouble. Yet it cannot be bought, begged, … Continue reading Smile, always smile. Even if you’re sad