I was browsing Reddit the other day when I came across a thread that caught my eye. The title was simple: “What frustrates you most about life?” The frustrations people submitted ranged from economic to familial, psychological to political. They were all universal human concerns — problems men and women from all walks of life struggle with every single day. … Read More
5 Common Frustrations and How to Handle Them
Want to Be the Most Interesting Person in the Room? Learn the Art of Active Listening.
One question we get frequently is, “How do I become a better listener?” Listening is an important social skill we need if we want to really connect with other people. Most people know listening is important, but a lot of us (especially those of us with a little social anxiety) end up in our heads, over-thinking things. The problem is … Read More
in Art of Personal Development
The Art of Feedback (And Why It Really Matters)
Confession: I’m not exactly a natural when it comes to feedback. Offering meaningful criticism was a skill I learned later in life, and to this day, I have to work consciously to give and interpret feedback the right way. For a long time, I felt like this was a gap in my ability — a sensitivity to criticism I just … Read More
in Networking
How Do You Host a Great Event (and Build Your Social Capital Without Keeling over from Social Anxiety)?
You understand hosting a fabulous event is a great way to network and build social capital. That’s a given. But how do you get started when you don’t have an actual clue where to begin? The art of hosting a fabulous event that builds your social circle and your personal reputation as an all-around cool guy or gal is easier … Read More
in Art of Personal Development
From the Vault #17 | How to Find Your Calling with Jeff Goins
Our From the Vault series examines episodes from The Art of Charm’s past more deeply; we invite you to revisit them — or discover them for the first time — with us. This From the Vault revisits our conversation with The Art of Work author Jeff Goins where we learned how to make ourselves more afraid of not trying than … Read More
in From the Vault
What We’re Reading #3 | Essentialism, The Neapolitan Novels, and Real Artists Don’t Starve
The AoC team is a well-read bunch. Each month, I’ll share what I’ve been perusing and try to get the others to put their books down long enough to do the same. If you’ve got any suggestions for books you think we should be reading (or comments about what we’ve already read), drop us a line at our respective Twitter … Read More
in What We're Reading
3 Tips for Defeating Debilitating Social Anxiety
Spoiler Alert: Dealing with social anxiety is not a “one and done” kind of deal. And that’s good news, because the only way you could realistically remove all social anxiety would be to die. So how about a better plan? It’s a good news, bad news situation. You want the bad news first? Okay, here it is: If you have … Read More
in Art of Personal Development
Productive Conflict: How to Disagree Like a Champion
Emily had seen some things. By the time she became Head of Marketing for one of the biggest circuses in the world — I mean a literal circus — she had consulted for Fortune 500 companies, started two media companies, and served as an advisor on everything from television shows to non-profits. She had developed a reputation as a warm, … Read More
in Art of Personal Development, Empowerment
Offering Value to Others Without Forcing It
You’re out and about, being social, and wanting to behave like the high-value person you are. It sounds like it should be pretty straightforward: be a high-value person, and you’ll automatically offer value to others. But things are never that simple, are they? Try too hard and you become that needy person who practically repels others. Don’t leave people feeling … Read More
in Art of Personal Development
5 Simple Secrets to Successful First Impressions
Making great first impressions requires more than just a confident attitude and witty dialogue — it’s all about your body language. In the heat of the moment, it can be easy to forget about all the little tweaks and adjustments you can make to improve the signals you give off. When it comes to body language, it really is the … Read More
in Art of Personal Development