The title of a bestselling book, but also something I have struggled with for...well, always. After 23 excruciating years of me embarrassing my family and myself, pissing people off, and being a member of the "reject crowd," I finally learned a couple tricks of the trade on how to get people to like you.
1. Be born in Alaska to a Spanish mother, a Persian father, and perfect older brother. All sure to make you intriguing before you even strike up a conversation!
2. Become an expert on something ie whales. "Ask me anything about whales." Great conversation starter and makes you seem like you know something that no one else outside of biology majors or Alaskans/Russians (interchangeable terms since Palin became famous) would know anything about!
3. Sound smart. Example, read the first paragraph of an article most people would not have read. Then, at an opportune moment, let everyone know that you read said article (no big deal) and you know how that relates to everyday life. Again, no big deal. You are breezy and just naturally brilliant.
4. Be funny. No need to be a stand-up comedian. Just be sarcastic, inappropriate, and laugh yourself...a lot.
5. FILTER - if you feel the sudden urge to tell a really embarrassing story about your parents to a room full of strangers, don't. If you want to tell an inappropriate fact to your 12 year old tennis partner's mother (while your mother is there), don't. If you want to share with your whole high school one your friend's deepest secrets, don't. If you would like to yell at your 2nd grade teacher because they are "not your mother," don't. I could go on and on and on. Just...don't do it.
5. Convince people that you are related to a high-up EPA government official. This will make you seem important, well connected, and green all at the same time. Sure winner. Thanks BF!
6. Connect yourself to really cool sounding people. Example: a brother who is a genius going to a top law school who gets stellar jobs in both DC and AK when the job market is at its worst, a great friend who is at the top medical school in the country, a couple of realllllly funny friends who make you seem like you're funny because they are willing to hang out with you, a really good looking group of family and friends, and have people you can call friends (even if they're just aqcuaintances) who are stragecally placed all over world - this last one makes you seem more sophisticated, lively, and worldly.
7. Have parents who are willing to suffer to teach you their native languages. When you casually slip in the fact that you speak 3 languages fluently (even that's stretching the truth) or that you have studied 2 more (even if you could not have a conversation in those languages to save your life), you just seem realllllly smart.
8. Laugh and smile a lot. Something I did not do until well into my junior year of high school. My friend group jumped from maybe 2 to 5 in a cool month.
9. Wear makeup, shower, and brush your hair. Definite crowd pleaser.
10. Work at an NGO that is slaving away to save the world. You cannot go wrong with this. Once you share that, you become generous, selfless, well informed, and awesome all at once. (Example of a shameless plug: check out www.tahirih.org - Working to save all immigrant women from evil)
Teaser - Coming Up: How to Make Your Fellow Love You
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