Maybe its that I can be a very serious person and paired with my also being an Introvert, I can tend to come off a little intense to some people (as I am finding out). Turns out all of my good friends, when they first met me, thought I was a mean person and someone they wouldn't want to hang out with. Evidently that changed, but it is just so interesting to find out that the people who I am closest to now once never wanted to have anything to do with me because of the person they "thought" I was.....i.e. because of their first impression of me!
Even more interesting to me, was finding out from all of my co-workers what they first thought of me. As you all know I am an RA up at college, and apparently the impression I gave off to all of my co-workers was that I was going to follow the rules, was serious about my job might snitch on others who didn't do what they were supposed to do, and apparently I also came off very confident and focused no the job at hand....in short they found me slightly intimidating. Coincidentally, one of my co-workers (who I am super close with now) would even do everything above and beyond around me because she thought I would tell our boss and she would get fired (lol). She also recently told me, that one of her other friends had to actually convince her to get to know me, but thankfully now we are super good friends (yay).
It always surprises me to find out what others think of me, especially mo co-workers, because once one person mentions something then they all start talking, and come to find out the first impression I tend to give off is being very overly serious and slightly intimidation (which has a negative vibe). Somehow that never makes since to me, considering I am very quiet, but I suppose in my quietness I am very focused at the job at hand. Yes, I will admit that I can be serious, but it's never the kind of serious that shouts "I am better than you and don't want to have anything to do with you" kind of serious. Thankfully, now that I have worked with everyone for an entire semester, they know that I am not really that way at all and that I am actually very approachable and nice, but there is still a side to me that appears and shows through in a positive light, that I am very confident, self assured, and serious about what I do.
With all that being said, I have realized that I myself have been just as wrong in my first impressions of people as others have been about me. So often we only judge based on what we can see or hear from others when that is not the most valid way of judging a person. It is once you actually spend time with them, get to know them, or see them with their friends that you can make an accurate judge of who they are and come to find out that you were (most often) completely wrong about them! Therefore, I want to encourage you to always take the extra step in getting to know someone. In regards to myself, after finding out what people first though of me it makes me reevaluate how I come off to strangers. I have realized that most often I give off a negative and intimidating first impression and I desperately need to work on that. Therefore I know that I need to work on smiling more in general when I am going about my day, and also be more open and friendly to people I come across in life so as not to intimidate them with my all to noticeable serious side.....I am a nice person....I PROMISE.
Have you ever misjudged someone?
Has someone ever gotten the wrong first impression of you?
-Madison
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