The life of many a person could probably be changed if only someone would make him feel important.Ronald J.Rowland，who is one of the instructors of our course in California，is also a teacher of arts and crafts.He wrote to us about a student named Chris in his beginning crafts class：
Chris was a very quiet，shy boy lacking in self-confidence，the kind of student that often does not receive the attention he deserves.I also teach an advanced class that had grown to be somewhat of a status symbol and a privilege for a student to haveearned the right to be in it.On Wednesday，Chris was diligently working at his desk.I really felt there was a hidden fire deep inside him.I asked Chris if he would like to be in the advanced class.How I wish I could express the look in Chris’s face，the emotions in that shy fourteen-year-old boy，trying to hold back his tears.
“Who me，Mr.Rowland？Am I good enough？”“Yes，Chris，you are good enough.”
I had to leave at that point because tears were coming to my eyes.As Chris walked out of class that day，seemingly two inches taller，he looked at me with bright blue eyes and said in a positive voice，“Thank you，Mr.Rowland.”
Chris taught me a lesson I will never forget—our deep desire to feel important.To help me never forget this rule，I made a sign which reads “YOU ARE IMPORTANT.”This sign hangs in the front of the classroom for all to see and to remind me that each student I face is equally important.
The unvarnished truth is that almost all the people you meet feel themselves superior to you in some way，and a sure way to their hearts is to let them realize in some subtle way that you recognize their importance，and recognize it sincerely.
Let’s take another case：Donald M.McMahon，who was superintendent of Lewis and Valentine，nurserymen and landscape architects in Rye，New York，related this incident：
“Shortly after I attended the talk on ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People，’I was landscaping the estate of a famous attorney.The owner came out to give me a few instructions about where he wished to plant a mass of rhododendrons and azaleas.
“I said，‘Judge，you have a lovely hobby.I’ve been admiring your beautiful dogs.I understand you win a lot of blue ribbons every year at the show in Madison Square Garden.’
“The effect of this little expression of appreciation was striking.
“‘Yes，’the judge replied，‘I do have a lot of fun with my dogs.Would you like to see my kennel？’
“He spent almost an hour showing me his dogs and the prizes they had won.He even brought out their pedigrees and explained about the bloodlines responsible for such beauty and intelligence.“Finally，turning to me，he asked：‘Do you have any smallchildren？’
“‘Yes，I do，’I replied，‘I have a son.’
“‘Well，wouldn’t he like a puppy？’the judge inquired.“‘Oh，yes，he’d be tickled pink.’
“‘All right，I’m going to give him one，’the judge announced.He started to tell me how to feed the puppy.Then he paused.
‘You’ll forget it if I tell you.I’ll write it out.’So the judge went in the house，typed out the pedigree and feeding instructions，and gave me a puppy worth several hundred dollars and one hour and fifteen minutes of his valuable time largely because I had expressed my honest admiration for his hobby and achievements.”
“Talk to people about themselves，”said Disraeli，one of the shrewdest men who ever ruled the British Empire.“Talk to people about themselves and they will listen for hours .”
PRINCIPLE 6：
Make the other person feel important—and do it sincerely.
