Stop Trying To Make A Good First Impression. Start Taking Second Impressions.

I read this today on Entrepreneur.com:

Ambady and Rosenthal call this behavior “thin-slicing.” They argue that we make quick judgments—or thin slices—of people we meet, and rarely change them. This isn’t just important for teachers. Multiple studies have found thin-slicing happens in dating, parenting, and looking at social media profiles. The lesson is clear: If we don’t nail our first impression, all our hard preparation is wasted. But you can turn that to your advantage—because to win over a crowd, you only have to supercharge the first two seconds! 

I don't like this kind of crap. I have an issue with the idea that we need to change ourselves to be a certain way so that people can make a 2 second snap judgement of who we are in the way that we want. There's something not only inauthentic about it - it's also just not a respectful way to look at other people. 

Here's what I'm working on instead...actually trying to question my first impressions of people and decide whether or not they're right, wrong, fair or unfair. 

Fuck Retirement. It Ain't Happening.

So I've been reading this post today and I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that I have just about zero interest in retirement. The post is from Jason Murphy.

You only need to look at the life expectancy line to see why they will keep trying to move the pension age higher. More people are getting the pension, and for longer. If medicine advances faster than expected, life expectancy by 2055 could be higher than this graph shows. That could mean 25 years of pension payments for the average Aussie, or even more.

Okay, so here's what I think. You should not be living your life waiting for a pension to retire. That's not the way life is supposed to be. You should be doing work that you love, work that you enjoy, work that matters to you. Trading can be a great choice to save some money along with doing the job you love. Thus you do not have to depend on the government or your employer to live a life after retirement.

If you're simply hanging out for the weekend for 50 years, with all your faith being in the government or your employer being able to pay a pension when you're done, you're looking at a life of misery, please believe that. 

The Next Generation Already Doesn't Give A Damn.

Here's what I've learned from 2 weeks spent connecting with 5 focus groups. 

Teenagers already don't give a damn about your brand. 

The next generation are pre-disposed to have absolutely zero interest in what you're selling. Why? Because they've been sold to through an ever increasing number of apps since they were old enough to lift a rectangular slab of glass. 

They're not just being sold to by you. They're being sold to by their friends, who want their reactions and their time and their attention. They're being sold to by their own generational cultural leaders. 

So what does that mean for you? It means that when you communicate with the next generation, you're going to be dealing with a hostile audience. And you're going to have to try a hell of a lot harder.

The way they communicate is always going to be ahead of the way you communicate. 

They're native to this. They design the way the products we design are used.

If you're not finding ways to actually engage them in a conversation through which you can learn more than how to squeeze them for a dime, you're old news. 

Do you know what breeds success? 🔑

DO YOU KNOW WHAT BREEDS SUCCESS? IT'S NOT MONEY. IT'S NOT FAKERY. IT'S YOUR CONNECTIONS WITH THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU 🙌🔑

Find people who give you energy, ideas, inspiration, time, love, care, knowledge, advice, expertise, lessons, opportunities and peace. These are the people who will define your success.

don't back down 🔑

You've got to be prepared to stand your ground. If you believe something, say it. If people challenge it, stand by it. When things go wrong, don't just fold like a cheap suit. This is what inspires many gamblers. There might be days when things go wrong, but they believe in their luck and skills. Online casino games can be played according to the convenient hour of the gambler. Interested gamblers can visit bitcoinist.com to find the best casino sites.

The smartest person in the room can silence any creativity 🔑

When the smartest person in the room speaks, there's a good chance everyone else is going to feel shut down and shut out. Collaboration and team work is far more important than elevating someone else's thoughts and holding them up as an idol...

TRUST GIVES YOU A MEASURE 🔑

Trust people. Trust people, because it's the only way to be sure of them. Trust people because they'll show you who they really are, when they love or accept, hate or reject you. At the end of the day, it's better to be free of whatever you're hiding, and be sure of the people around you.

If your mind is on fire with ideas at 1 AM - let it burn. 🔑

Ideas are the currency of success. Ideas are what can take you from zero to one hundred. Ideas are what can turn you into the person you want to be. When your mind is running hot, when you can't stop thinking about something and your feet jumping, ride it out.