FIRST IMPRESSIONS MATTER

In today’s society, have we gotten away from being concerned about our First Impression! Today, I hear more often people stating, I don’t care what other’s think. Might this be because it is really not about IMAGE but SELF-IMAGE!! That must be the FIRST person you impress. How you see yourself can positively or negative impact and influence others!!! Forbes Magazine informs that our brain is very busy calculating when we meet someone for the first time. There are 7,000 computations during the first seven (7) seconds of a meeting. (Might I add, from a spiritual perspective, seven (7) is the number of completion!)

Think about this. Your first impressions are greatly influenced by what isn’t spoken – confidence, trustworthiness, personal power, joy, and openness. So why would we become lazy in our appearance or lackadaisical in our authentic self-portrayal of who we are?

So, answer this: Do you know how you come across to others? What type of impression are you projecting?

During a time when a portion of our face is often hidden; it is still relevant to consider our First Impression! Your appearance on the Zoom business meeting cannot afford to be too relaxed, too impersonal, too revealing.

A few nuggets to consider:

· Smile with your eyes when wearing a facial mask. Smile with your voice when they hear you but can’t see you!

· Sit upright, with a strong body posture.

· Folded arms convey the appearance of a closed mind.

· Relax your facial muscles to present a presence of warm and receptivity

I challenge you to consider how you are coming across to others. Does it portray who you are or is your appearance sending out the wrong message? Is it possible that in the past, your First Impression began a relationship filled with misunderstandings?

During a time of heightened social awareness, how you are received by others? What they see and hear and what you intended are essential! Why? Because you will only get one opportunity to make that First Impression!

First impressions Still Matter!