We love to spend time with people who we find intriguing.

And, most of us hope that others find us engaging as well. But, how can we be sure that we are indeed interesting people? This advice might help!

Are You an Interesting Person?

In our culture today much emphasis is placed on looks, sex appeal and being youthful. Many individuals spend a disproportionate amount of time working on their outer packages. They go to great lengths to be fashionable and trendy as well as making sure they are seen at the latest "in" places. Sadly, when little or no effort is being made to develop the intellect or an interesting personality, many good-looking young men and women come across as being self-centered. Evidence of this unhealthy trend can be witnessed in the behavior of today's celebrities who often serve as role models. We are bombarded daily with news of their actions where they engage in irresponsible behavior.

Although physical attraction is very helpful in the preservation of our species, evolution has come a long way in giving us more than solely our appearance to attract each other. For a solid, meaningful personal or business relationship to develop between two parties they must have more to contribute to each other beyond their initial physical attraction. When two people have little in common except for their good looks, there is virtually no place for a relationship to go. They must enjoy each other as individuals and be able to develop a bond or friendship. There must be substance, shared interests, willingness to grow, and mutual respect.

So what's the answer?

Become someone whose company others seek. Have something meaningful to contribute. Develop all aspects of your self - your mind, body, intellect and spirit. Become an interesting person by:

• Cultivating a variety of interests
• Taking a genuine interest in others
• Reading books outside accounting and professional issues!
• Staying on top of current events 
• Expressing your informed opinions
• It’s never too late to start!

Charismatic people

Off the top of your head, you can probably list the names of 20 people you consider to be interesting... Maybe you could fill a page with names, if you really gave it some thought. What are the characteristics of interesting or charismatic people? Is there any advantage in becoming more interesting?

We all know that people do business with people they know, like and trust. Ask yourself, would you want to spend time with someone who you find interesting or someone who bores you to death? The answer is obvious. An interesting person attracts people to them and most likely expends a lot less effort promoting and selling their product or services or fast-tracking their career.

Think about the last networking and/or social function you attended. What people do you recall having a conversation with? More importantly, what do you remember about those conversations? Many interesting people basically repeat little pieces of trivia - things they found interesting and assume others will, too. Basically they teach what they learn. This doesn't include gossip, of course, only good news stories.

Gifted story-tellers

Interesting people are often gifted at telling stories. Unfortunately, at social and networking functions, you often have to give a shortened version of an event and this may take practice. We all know people who can exaggerate a story and stretch the truth. In the networking world, stretching the truth is totally unnecessary and very often backfires. More often than not, it's a great story just as it happened. It's the storyteller that makes the story come alive with passion and enthusiasm. If you are really serious about improving your personal skills including your communication or social skills, then consider improving your story telling skills.

How to become more interesting?

Let’s examine simple strategies that you may consider introducing into your life to become a more interesting person:

• Always be sincere and give without expectation. We all know those people who are just being nice to you because they want something.
• Many employees get caught up in the - work long hours, go home, crash - work long hours, go home, crash - cycle. When they do get a day off, it’s all they can do to drag themselves out of bed and many have to really force themselves to go out and do something remotely social. Life is like exercise, once you are actually at the gym, you feel great. It's just getting there that takes the effort.
• Research your interests. The Internet has opened up the information world. All we have to do is know how to access that information. Search engines make that incredibly easy for us.
  Get focused. Take a few moments now and write a list of 20 things that you would be interested in doing if you had a month off and an unlimited budget. Your list may include some old hobbies, new interests, maybe even more of what you are currently doing.
• Move out of your comfort Zone. Many people sit back and wait for life to happen - they wait a long time! Proactive people are the ones who make life happen.
• Attend a special workshop or event. So many people think that networking has to be work related. In actual fact, some of the best contacts you will make will be in a social or special interest situation. Many colleges regularly have short-term special interest courses to suit our restricted availability. What a great way to network! You are learning something new, improving your skill, making new friends and the by product is - you are becoming more interesting.
• Be a better listener. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was considered one of the most charming women in the world because she cultivated the skill of being an exceptional listener. She would look a person in the eyes and hang on their every word. Nothing is more appealing than having someone listening to you intently and making you feel like you’re the only person in the world.
• Read More and Expand Your Interests. The more you read and interests you have, the more interesting you are to others. It also gives you the opportunity to meet people and share or exchange your views with them.
• Be a good conversationalist. This relates to how much you read and know. Once you have much to contribute, learn how to talk about it with others. We can’t know everything, so it’s refreshing to learn about things we don’t have time to read about from others.
• Have an Opinion. There’s nothing more tiresome than trying to talk to someone who has no opinion on anything. A conversation has nowhere to go if you have nothing to expound on. When you have a differing opinion, it makes you that much more interesting and stimulating to be around
• Meet New People. Make the effort to meet new people especially those different from you. It not only exposes you to different cultures and alternate ways of doing things, it broadens your horizons.
• Be yourself. The next most tiresome thing after having no opinions is to try and be something you’re not. Everyone is unique and expressing that uniqueness is what makes us interesting.
• Have a positive outlook and attitude. No one wants to be around people who are negative, complain a lot, or have nothing good to say. In fact most of us run when we see them coming. Be the kind of upbeat person that lights up a room with your energy.
  Be fun and see the humorous side of life. We all like to be around someone who makes us laugh or smile. Look for the humorous side in situations. There always is one. When you are fun and lighthearted people are naturally attracted to you.
• Be supportive of others. This is probably the most endearing quality you can integrate into your personality. Just as you welcome it when you receive it, be the support for others when they need it. Everyone wants a cheerleader, someone who encourages and believes in them, in their corner. 
• Have Integrity and treat people with respect. Be honest and true to your word and you will have the admiration and respect of others. Respect others and you will have their attention and gratitude. Nothing improves a person’s personality more than integrity and respect - respect for others as well as respect for yourself. 

John Lennon summed it up with his quote: "Life is what happens while you are making other plans." Interesting people are not born. You won't find 'interesting person' listed in the newspaper. However, they are easy to spot at networking functions. They are the ones that everyone wants to be around. Happy networking!