Am I a people person? Depends what kinds of people.
I’ve got the great fortune of a life filled with amazing folk. People from all walks of life who inspire everyday wonder and joy — they’re probably the greatest thing I’ve got going for me nowadays.
As we emerge from the brutal winter, I’ve noticed certain kinds of people I’ve been staying away from. Who, as I learn more about who I am and what I care about, I’m flagging on my radar faster than I used to.
Self-defense? Maybe. Or just that I know what I want, I know what makes me happy and healthy, and I’m going for it.
My friend, Gary Vaynerchuk, had an idea: “I’d round up the top 50,000 to 500,000 people that I can find who have those qualities — empathy and self awareness (which in turn lead to lack of cynicism) — and make them mate with each other at scale.” Good idea! (Then he wondered what we’d do with all the other people still around, people “who make the world worse.”)
Here are some of the kinds of people I say we all start watching out for. If we team up, maybe we can scare them away. And maybe we won’t become them, either.
1. People who know how this all began.
2. People who can’t contain themselves.
3. People who think nobody notices.
4. People who don’t know what they’re afraid of.
5. People who read too much.
6. People who don’t take naps.
7. People who know the answer.
8. People who take real vacations.
9. People who have no tattoos.
10. People who have no questions.
11. People who would never work for you.
12. People you can’t not invite to the meeting.
13. People who don’t show wonder.
14. People who can’t even.
15. People who can sit still.
16. People who know how this will end.