Wednesday, May 11, 2011

How to Be the Most Interesting Person in the World!!!

 Why are we here? To help the less fortunate? To eat, drink, and be merry? To beat every single level on Angry Birds!?!? For countless centuries, kings, philosophers, and holy men have pondered this question to no avail. Unfortunately, I don't have the answers for you either. However, I think I might be able to help you answer the question “Why am I here?”. What's your purpose in life? Where are you going? What makes you an interesting person?

How many interesting people do you know? I mean really interesting? I mean Kevin Spacy in K-Pax interesting? News Flash: most people aren't really that interesting!! In reality, most people are pretty boring. Maybe every single one of your friends has beaten every single level on Angry Birds with three stars, but does that make them interesting? I think not. So what makes an interesting person?

In my opinion, an interesting person is somebody who has a strong sense of identity and is internally validated. What I mean by this is that they seem to know exactly who they are and where they are going. They aren't particularly afraid of failure because they have internalized their identity and they have become internally validated. People who are internally validated don't seek approval from others. In fact, since these people exude so much confidence, other people are naturally attracted to them. It seems like a cruel joke – people who seek validation from others are the least likely to receive it.

So how does someone like this break the cycle? From my experience, I think that one of the best ways to become more internally validated is to sit down and brainstorm on where you are in life and where you want to be a year from now. While you're doing this, ask yourself some big existential questions. Questions like “Who am I?”, “What's my mission?”, “What do I love to do?”, “What's my passion in life?”, “Am I satisfied with my career?”, “Does my career match my lifestyle?”, “What are some other practical career paths that I could be passionate about?”, “Will the Vikings ever with the Super Bowl?” Ok, scratch that last one. The point of asking these questions is to check the compass and adjust the heading if needed on where you are and where you want to be in life.

Maybe you don't have any clue on where you want to be a year from now. In this case, make it your mission to find your passion. Try new things!! Join a cycling club!! Pick up a new instrument!! Learn a new language!! You don't have to decide on who you're going to be for the rest of your life overnight. Just have fun sampling things until you find something that you love.

As you set sail on your new lifestyle, it's important to avoid social comparisons. Remember, life's not about where you are, it's about where you're going. Being an interesting person isn't about “being the best” at whatever it is that you put your mind to. Instead, it's about staying focused on where you're going and how far you've come. After all, that is what makes you an internally validated and interesting person, isn't it?

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