I was reminded of that old adage recently on my commute to work. There’s a point in my commute where two lanes merge into one, following a traffic light. If you’re the first vehicle, you can choose your lane and be cool. However, if you’re not, you have to gauge which car gives you the best opportunity to move along expeditiously in your commute. A few days ago, I pulled up to the intersection and there were already two cars waiting. One was a Chrysler PT Cruiser and the other a Dodge Charger. So naturally, I assumed the Charger would be the best option to get behind and roll to work. I couldn’t have been more incorrect in my assumption. In fact, that light was the last time I saw that PT Cruiser, because when the light changed, it was like a movie… they were Gone in 60 Seconds.
So I started to think about how often we misread someone or something by looking at just the outward appearance. How often we let just how something looks influence our decision making. Far too often we’ve blocked our blessings by making an uninformed or rushed judgement without looking deeper than the surface. Not picking the seemingly non-athletic kid for a sports team because they didn’t look the part, only to watch them perform like an all star. Picking the person for a critical project at work because they’re always throwing out all the buzzwords and catch phrases in meetings, only to find out talking is all they do! These are just two scenarios, but think of the many more in which we can make a similar mistake… And while you’re at it, think about how changing your mindset to reflect a broader, more openminded way of thinking, can lessen the chance of making an error in judgement!
What will you do the next time you meet someone new or a faced with a new situation. Will you judge or will you make an informed decision?