The Power of the First Impression

I consider myself to be a very intuitive woman. I often make decisions without checking all the facts.  I decide on what I sense is right, which is mostly a fast response without methodically evaluating pros and cons.  Enemies of this approach might call this “too emotional” and believe that due diligence is needed before acting.  I call this using your intuition.

There is truth in both viewpoints and I don’t want to deny the necessity of collecting facts on a matter or problem before resolving it.  There are many situations in life when due diligence seems to make sense, but still the final decision is often based on your unconscious mind known as your senses, gut feeling, or intuition.  Let me give you a couple of examples, perhaps similar to your own experiences.

When my husband and I went house hunting, we knew whether a house would be right for us the moment we stepped through the front door.  We did not need to see the fact sheet to know that the house was or was not right for us.  The first impression was the moment of decision and no facts could change our minds.

Do you recall shopping for a blouse, dress or jewelry this way?  You saw something in the shop window and knew immediately that it was what you wanted.  If someone had asked you why you felt that way, you probably could not have explained your reasons.  It just felt right.

In a business scenario, successful managers often make decisions based on their gut feelings.  They cannot explain why a deal or offer seems right or wrong.  They simply sense the right decision within the first moments without first having to analyze all of the facts.

When I met my husband for the first time, I knew he was the one.  I felt attracted to him before I knew much about him.  Trust me; at that time there were many facts speaking against our relationship and friends and family members never tired in presenting these facts to me on a golden tray to change my mind.  They were not successful, glad to say.  We have been happily married for almost 15 years.

Since our society is so mind-driven and fact-oriented, it takes a lot of courage to allow your senses to prevail.  I understand your worries, but at the same time I encourage you to allow your intuition or instincts to unfold.  In my book Be a woman and act like one. Succeeding in business and life, I talk about this topic in the chapter “Follow Your Instincts”.  Use the power of the first impression to your advantage and have the courage to express how you feel.

For more encouragement and deeper explanation I recommend Malcom Gladwell, the author of the book Blink.  He illustrates intuition with amazing examples of the power of the first moment.  He also cites examples from the world of science which prove his theory that someone can sense the right decision in the blink of an eye.

I highly recommend this book.  Gladwell suggests implementing techniques to short-circuit prejudices in our every day lives.  In this way, he contends, we can reconnect with and benefit from the power of the “blink,” the intuitive moment.

Here is a link to an excerpt of his book – the introduction.

Enjoy!