There are many instances in this life where people are mistaken for someone that they never intended to be. Everyone has an outer appearance which is judged by a simple first impression and usually doesn’t go much deeper than that unless you get the opportunity to get to know them. I was brought up in a small town located close to the Oklahoma-Arkansas border. I was brought up with a hardworking father and a loving mother all my life. They taught me many different useful tips to get through life and one of them was to be the best person you can be. I have lived my life around this motto and encouraged many other people to do the same.
When I graduated from high school I immediately knew I would attend the University of Southern Indiana because it has a great location and is highly ranked in degree programs. During my freshman year I wore a smile on my face as I continued to meet and greet many new people. Some of these people are still very close to me to this day and while reflecting with them I realized the first impression they received of me was not correct in the slightest.
Someone I met freshman year and has remained one of my best friends throughout the years told me about her first impression of me. I have blonde hair, blue eyes and freshman year I weighed about 115 pounds. The first time she met me the reaction she cornered in on was my weight and then she assumed I was probably a cheerleader, in many different sports, popular, snobby, etc. She came to find out very quickly that I was none of these things. I could never have the flexibility of even dreaming about being a cheerleader even though I think it would be a lot of fun and a great way to meet new people. Also as she got to know me she realized I stopped playing sports when I entered high school not because I didn’t love the game but because of a change in school, and dislike of the coaches. I was also never part of the popular crowd. I was the type of a person who had a group of friends that kept to themselves and didn’t try to be anything they weren’t. She also quickly realized I was a lot nicer that she expected.
Since she told me of her first impression of me I have always been very curious as to what other people’s first impressions of me were. I asked a few other people and some of them said the same things but others differed to an extent. I have thoroughly worked on trying to make people think of me differently than a snobby popular girl from high school. I strive to smile and talk to people as much as I can to give their first impression of me a slight twist. I want to bring out my personality and be thought of as the person my friends tell me I am today, not what my first impression was a few years ago.
In hearing what my friends had to say about their impression of me for the first time, I realized I judge people in the same way they were judging me. It is only human nature to assess what first meets the naked eye, and it takes a lot more time to get to know the real person inside. It is a joy to not judge someone from their outer appearance and to work towards actually getting to know them for who they are inside. I believe this opens up many more opportunities for great friendships with people you meet by simply walking down the street. It is very rewarding to let a person speak from their heart and reveal the person they truly are rather than make up your mind before they open their mouth.
You are a strong woman.
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