First Impressions

One of the things I love doing after events is talk to my husband about the people we've met. I like finding out what he thinks, and whether we arrive at a similar first impression. Most of the time (or maybe all the time), we do.

We see the same red flags—in the words they choose, in how they talk to other people, in how they talk about themselves, in how they carry themselves, in who they greet and don't greet, in how they behave. And we see the same admirable traits too.

I love it not because I like judging people, but because it feels like training. I want to learn to judge people's character accurately. So that I know who I can trust, who I can respect and learn from, and who to stay away from.

And while first impressions aren't always accurate, I've found that they're usually close to the mark.