First impressions really do make an impression.
They impress the mind with thoughts and feelings that last even
if they were formed in error.
Fortunately, if first impressions weren’t good ones, we can
modify them with new information.
For good or ill, our first impression of anything looms large.
This will resonate indefinitely unless we do something to change
it.
Consider our first impression of a person. Suppose someone
strikes us as friendly, jovial, sullen, or arrogant. Unless we
later realize that we caught the person on a particularly good
or bad day, the first impression remains.
Reinforce that first impression with emotional power and the
mind installs it into our internal thermostat.
This acts just like a living room thermostat.
In our homes, whether we open or close the windows, the
mechanism strives to keep room temperature constant.
We have to change the thermostat if we want to change the
temperature.
That’s a simple matter in the living room, but more involved in
the mind.
Most often, our initial impressions of money, work, and
relationships form the basis of our mental and emotional
framework about these subjects.
Our parents or primary caregivers are the main shapers of these
frameworks, but extended family, peers, clergy, and the entire
culture contribute as well.
We can’t change these first impressions, but we can realize that
many of them were based on faulty information.
When we modify our first impressions with new information, we
adjust our internal thermostats.
Find that new information (work can be fun, money can be
plentiful, the world is full of opportunity) and you will enjoy a
new experience.
If not, the consequences of first impressions and the thermostat
they helped to shape, will linger for a lifetime.
Copyright 2004 by Tony Papajohn
Tony writes and speaks on success. Subscribe to his free
SuccessMotivator e-zine at http://www.successmotivator.com
About the Author
Tony Papajohn speaks and writes on success. He specializes in teaching how to use the brain to tap the power of the mind. He has written and taught courses on Ericksonian hypnosis, NLP, and C.G. Jung. Tony publishes his thoughts and findings in his free SuccessMotivator newsletter. His hundreds of short articles cover a wide range of subjects and illustrate the principles of success and successful living.