Originally Published March 10th, 2019

Hey gang,

I want to share a quote with you that has stuck with me and continues to influence my thoughts and decisions to this day.

Several years ago, I discovered a self help author & motivational speaker named Larry Winget.

Since then I’ve read many of his books—some multiple times. He has a very prickly way of motivating his readers with book titles like, “People Are Stupid & I Can Prove It”, “Grow A Pair”, & “It’s Called Work For A Reason”. He’s nicknamed The Pitbull Of Personal Development and while some may be turned off by his approach, I find it humorous & effective.

I’ve learned a lot from Larry. But of all the quotes he has floating around the internet—the one that resonated with me the most was this—and I’m paraphrasing:

“You’ll spend more time with yourself than anyone else on this earth. Be the most interesting person you know.”

Since I read this I’ve tried to apply it to my own life. What does it mean to “be the most interesting person you know”?

For me it’s several things.

I’m Always Learning

I’ve tried to develop a tenacious curiosity for the things that I’m interested in. It’s ok to nerd out. Knowing the intricate details of a chosen craft or subject will make you stand out among the rest.

Make it a goal to learn & grow—even if it’s only a small thing every day. Listen to podcasts or audiobooks at work. Read books & blogs. Even though you might risk looking like a doofus, go out and try new things & learn from these experiences.

I’m Never Bored

Because I’m curious about so many things—I’m almost never bored. There’s always something new to discover, experience, and learn. I’m constantly working towards honing my skills and developing/discovering new ones.

I’m Not A Know-It-All

I’m more interested in learning what someone else has to say than spouting out that I know everything. I don’t know everything. The minute you think you know everything is the minute you stop learning. I don’t want to stop learning. So I’m open to experiencing new perspectives and allowing my opinions to change as my ideas & thoughts continue to evolve with time.

I Try To Surround Myself With Interesting People

People are inherently interesting to me & I’m lucky to have such a wide range of extremely interesting people in my life. I try to learn something from everyone I know.

You don’t know any interesting people? False. You know a lot of interesting people. Think of some of your favorite authors, heroes, sports icons, entrepreneurs, youtube/instagram influencers, etc.

Surround yourself with people who are interesting and have the same goals/values that you aspire to. Sure I don’t know many of my favorite authors/intellectuals/speakers/entrepreneurs personally—but they’re my friends nonetheless.

You are the average of your 5 closest friends.

I Try To Share What I’ve Learned

Simply by writing this blog, I’m attempting to condense & share information that I’ve learned. Even if it inspires just one person, I’ve done my job. My goal is to continue learning, share what I’ve learned, and hopefully inspire others to do the same. I hope that these little quick thought posts add some sort of value to your life.

***More Signal, Less Noise—Zack Arias

Keep Learning

Keep Growing

Keep Creating

Be the most interesting person you know.