On Trusting Impressions

Have you read Blink? I have, but
not recently. I was reminded of
it now, and need to go back and
revisit it.

I mention it because I was thinking
about impressions and gut feelings.

Apparently, the physical image we
present provides people with 55-80%
of what they believe about us.

Interestingly, Malcolm suggests that
the more complex something is, the
more we should trust our first
impression. The more simple it is,
the less facts there are, the more
he would suggest further analysis.

In some way, that makes sense to me.
Some things are so big, so much,
they can overwhelm. In some cases
you could never know enough. It
could cause serious paralysis and
stress.

I would suggest that people are one
of those complex things which means
your first reaction to someone is
likely to be the best one. You can
possibly access by the appearance
of a person, but often the appearance
won't align with the nature of the
gut feeling.

In addition, this can tie into my
last blog entry about going on what
we know from the past. Sometimes
it might be correct, but there could
be times our past-based assessments
could short circuit our efforts or
cheat us out of an opportunity.

While our appearance may "tell"
someone who they think we are,
it could be lying. The person's
assessment tools may also be
biased.

The physical things around us may
say something, but it often will
not relay who we truly are. Just
like the other blog entry about
what makes a good man, the things
and who we are may at times be
connected, but the things themselves
don't often equate to who we are.

(By the way, it is the unconscious
mind that likes things to be known.
It seeks out those things because
it finds comfort in it.

It is likely to be a good thing at
times, however when it rules it
may choose things that don't really
work for us, at all.)

Confused yet?

One thing gives one message. Another
thing gives another message. Which
one is the "right" one?

YOU know, and when you pay attention
to that inner voice and direction you
will find that the things people say
won't matter as much any more, unless,
that is - you want them to.

Would you like to read more about
Blink? See this link, and tell me
what you think.

I am the poet,
don'tja know it?

:)