One thing I love in this life is learning and seeing the practicality in my learning; the joy of learning is the application thereafter.

I've been reading a book called "How to win friends and influence people" (I'm not done yet but expect a book summary soon) and it has been an exciting read. I think it's fast becoming one of my all time favorites. I'm 60% in and I stumbled on a lesson I decided to apply and here's my recollection for memory sake.

Some weeks ago, I asked the caretaker of my apartment building to ask the owner of the building if I could pay 6 months rent since I know I will be leaving before a year is up (If you are confused, we pay rent yearly, sometimes biennial in Ghana). He came back to me several days later and said the owner refused and asked that I pay for the entire year and I will be refunded when I'm leaving. I was disappointed but I agreed.

In How to win friends and influence people, there is a story of a man who had his rent increased and wanted to get it reduced. Other tenants had tried and failed to get a reduction. He decided to try a different approach, went to see the owner of his apartment and instead of starting out talking about the rent, he talked to the man about things he cared about and paid him compliments. At the end of the day, the owner of his apartment offered him a reduced price and he said he still couldn't afford it and the owner asked him to name his price. When he did, the owner accepted.

I drop my Kindle after reading that story and thought about how I could apply that story to my situation. I decided to begin in a friendly way.

I called to mind the things I love about my apartment building and wrote the owner an appreciation note.

What happened next is still like a movie.

A few minutes after getting her reply, the caretaker knocked on my door and told me that he received a message from the owner saying that I should pay up until January which is only 4 months. Remember I previously asked to pay for 6 months to no avail but by simply being hearty in my approbation and lavish in my praises , without my asking, she agreed that I pay up until I was leaving.

Sometimes just appreciating someone and showing they are important can give them joy and it's the joy for me :)

Thank you Dale Carnegie for putting together this gem.