youre going to get in return. They know thats not true. You know thats not
true. But only little losers make it obvious.
The next three techniques also involve timing, not of favors, but of
important discussions.
Technique #82
Tit for (Wait... Wait) Tat
When you do someone a favor and its obvious that he owes you one,
wait a suitable amount of time before asking him to pay. Let him enjoy the
fact (or fiction) that you did it out of friendship. Dont call in your tit for
their tat too swiftly.
How to Know What Not to Say at Parties
When police were hot on the tail of a thief in ancient times, hed
frantically seek a church to duck into. The crook knew if he could get to an
altar, the frustrated posse could not arrest him until he came out.
When a pack of wolves in the jungle is in hot pursuit of a jackrabbit, the
frightened bunnys eyes seek a hollow log. He knows the wolves cant
devour him until he emerges.
Likewise in the human jungle, big cats have certain safe havens.
Although unspoken, they are as secure as the tenth-century altar or a hole in
the log. At clearly understood times and places, even the toughest tiger
knows he must not attack. I call these safe havens.
I have a friend, Kirstin, the president of an advertising agency who each
year invites me to her companys Christmas party. One year, the holiday
spirit was in extra-high swing. Conviviality was high and champagne
flowed freely. It was a terrific bash.
The evening wore on, more bubbly flowed, and the decibel level of the
holiday revelers went up and up. So high, in fact, that Kirstin told me she
was going to tiptoe out the back door and offered to drop me off at my
place.
311
As we were making our way toward the exit, we heard a woozy voice in
the crowd, Oh Kirrr-stin, Kirrr-stin! A mail-room worker, warped with too
much seasonal spirit, wobbled up to her boss and said, You know, thish ish
a great party, a grr-reat party. But I been doin some figuring. If half what it
cost went into a child-care facility for the seven, count em, seven mothers
with preschool children who work here...
ooja
(Ooja)
#1