First Impressions Aren’t Everything
The good old saying “first impressions are everything” when you are meeting someone new, doing business with a client, or doing an interview at a new job. This first impression can mold an individual’s mindset of who they think you are to them. Though, to me, that is unfair to the person who may not be good at showcasing their “first impression”.
A person may have reservations when meeting a new individual or getting familiar with a new place, and it could put a person on guard based off cultural appropriation/policies/rules. Another person may be shy and is slow to warm-up to people, so it does not give a chance to share the true potential of who they really are as a person because they did not give a good “first impression”. Or another important one-- the person may be starting their life over from a past that has brought them down and dragged them to the wrong place at the wrong time.
Sure, as human beings we naturally want to judge a person based off how we see them, though did you ever think about what would happen if that person instantly assumed and said things about you? Because the first impression they had in those few minutes didn’t meet their inner expectations about who they want you to be? Nobody is perfect from what meets the eye. Here is a video from GaryVee stating the negative side of focusing on first impressions:
I know it’s not exactly easy to refrain from judging a person the first time you meet them since it has been molded into society to say something about another person, whether good or bad. One way to stop yourself from that is to understand they’re also human.
Nobody is going to make the “perfect” first impression when meeting someone new especially when each person has their own personality. It can be based off of what they wear, how they speak, how they act, and what they say. There are reasons a person is sad or is annoyed the first time, and it could be something you don’t know they could be going through behind closed doors.
To be a good friend or a good person, get to know that person and understand where they are coming from and discover what they are like as a person. Though it may not be easy to reach out to someone, this may help shed light on your curiosity about who they are.
Because, as Gary Vee has mentioned, it can portray what you may be going through personally, and who knows? Maybe you’ll find common interests and start to see their perception of why they appear or act the way they do. At the end of the day, it is a great reminder to oneself that each person is the same where we each wake up, eat, breathe, and sleep.
