Travis Kelce Just Taught a Lesson in How to Be Instantly Likable in 1 Sentence – Is This a Deep Dive on How He Won Over Taylor Swift?

It can make you more likable, too.

Travis Kelce. Illustration: Inc; Photo: Getty Images

Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end is likely a future Hall-of-Famer. He’s helped lead his team to Super Bowl victories three times. And of course he may be most famous for being Taylor Swift’s boyfriend. But there’s something else about Kelce: Almost everyone likes him, both the people who’ve met him and those who’ve just seen him play football. Or even watched New Heights, the podcast he co-hosts with his brother.

Kelce is instantly likable, and a new short video released by the Chiefs shows exactly why that’s true. The occasion is that the Chiefs just nominated Kelce for the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. Every team gets to nominate one player for the award. The award’s winner is to be chosen for his abilities and also for “a steadfast commitment to creating a positive impact beyond the game,” according to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. But in fact, since fans vote on the winner, it may really be more of popularity contest. Either way, perhaps hoping to help him win, Swift liked the Chiefs’ video on Instagram, something she rarely does. (You can vote for the winner here.)

Kelce’s nomination is partly due to his charitable work. Notably, he works with Operation Breakthrough, a Kansas City nonprofit that provides educational programs for underserved children. Kelce’s foundation allowed the program to expand to high school students as well. Some are learning to turn classic cars into EVs.

Kelce says he grew up in “a melting pot.”

In the video, Kelce recalls his childhood in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He calls it “a melting pot of social class and race and religion.” And, he says, “I was able to relate to all those kids growing up, and and really appreciate everyone for who they were. I don’t care what you look like, where you come from, I’m going to be friendly, and I’m going to lend a helping hand. I just don’t know any other way.”

I just don’t know any other way. You can be sure Kelce has had many reasons to be unfriendly to or suspicious of people he doesn’t know. Anyone with his level of celebrity becomes a target for people who wants to raise their own status by attacking you. For instance, last month, his older brother, retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce smashed the smartphone of a heckler. The heckler had shouted that Travis was “a faggot for dating Taylor Swift.” But still, Travis Kelce just doesn’t know any other way than to be friendly to everyone.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid says this aspect of Kelce’s personality allows him to deal well with his outsized celebrity. “Everybody’s his best friend. Until you prove him wrong, everybody’s a friend. And so he can handle it,” Reid said of Kelce in a podcast interview this summer.

Kelce is likable because he likes everyone.

It’s that attitude toward the world that makes Kelce’s so incredibly likable. Communication experts say the easiest way to get other people interested in you is to be interested in other people. Likability works the same way. The easiest way to get people to like you is to like other people, and treat everyone as a friend. Instead of worrying that being universally friendly will make you seem gullible or naïve, consider how finding something to like in everyone you encounter will make people naturally want to do the same for you. It may not make you a star. But it will make you instantly more likable to everyone you meet.

There’s a growing audience of Inc.com readers who receive a daily text from me with a self-care or motivational micro-challenge or tip. Often, they text me back and we wind up in a conversation. These texts can help you look beyond your daily tasks and bring mindfulness to both your work and your life, and help you be more likable in your right. Are you curious? It’s easy to try it out and you can easily cancel any time. Here’s some information about the texts and a special invitation to a two-month free trial.