Genuinely Interested in Other People

I'm currently reading Dale Carnegie's fantastic book, How to Win Friends & Influence People. For over 75 years this book has been heralded as a one of the best books to lead people in any industry to success. I completely agree. The foresight provided by the stories are incalculable. So, in this post I decided to share one of my favorite stories. If you enjoy the story, purchase the book. You will not be disappointed.

It was Thanksgiving Day and Martin Ginsberg was a 10-year old in a welfare ward of a city hospital. He was scheduled to undergo major orthopedic surgery the next day. He knew he could only look forward to months of confinement, convalescence and pain. His father was dead; his mother and himself lived alone in a small apartment and were on welfare. His mother was unable to visit Martin that day in the hospital.

As the day went on, he became overwhelmed with the feeling of loneliness, despair and fear. He knew his mother was home alone worrying about Martin. She did not have anyone to be with nor anyone to eat with. She also did not have enough money to afford a Thanksgiving Day dinner.

The tears welled up in Martin's eyes and he stuck his head under a pillow and pulled the covers over it. He cried silently so much that his body racked with pain. But then a young student nurse heard Martin crying and went over to visit him. She took the covers off Martin's face and started wiping his tears. She told Martin how lonely she was, having to work that day and not being able to be with her family. She asked Martin whether he would have dinner with her. She then brought two trays of food: sliced turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and ice cream for dessert. She talked to him and tried to calm his fears. Even though she was scheduled to go off duty at 4 p.m., she stayed on her own time until almost 11 p.m. She played games with Martin, she talked to him and stayed with him until he finally fell asleep.

 Many Thanksgivings have come and gone since Martin was ten, but he never forgets that particular one and his feelings of frustration, fear, loneliness and the warmth of a stranger that somehow made it all bearable. So, as stated by Dale Carnegie, "If you want others to like you, if you want to develop real friendships, if you want to help others at the same time as you help yourself, keep this principle in mind: Become genuinely interested in other people.