Today I came across an article in Esquire magazine on the importance of being gracious:

“When wandering the world, forget your business cards. Don’t look for more contacts. Instead, observe. Say hello to the people you see every day, but don’t make a fetish out of it. Stay interested in others. Be generous in your attentions but not showy. Don’t wink, snap your fingers, high-five, or shout, though laugh with those who do. It bears repeating: Look around. Remember names. Remember where people were born.”

Graciousness was brought up in a business context as an alternative to pushy and show-offish networking techniques.

It made me ask myself -Do we really live in a world where we need to remind ourselves to laugh with those who do it and remember names? Would we really not do this unless we read an article that highlights the benefits of adopting such a behavior?

I believe that it is in our nature to be light and gracious, to smile and laugh and to genuinely care about others. We do forget about it sometimes and we don`t do it for larger periods of time we “unlearn”. It is not difficult to forget especially in periods when we are surrounded by negativity. 

But it a matter of practice to remind ourselves and become gracious again. Because it is who we are.