During the course of a day in my job, I speak with and meet a variety of different people.
Now, I’ve always been pretty shy and working up the courage to speak to someone can still be a potential daily struggle for me.
During my high school and college years, many thought I was just being “snotty” or “stuck up,” when in reality, I was just a shy girl who found it hard to talk to people.
This got me thinking, how often do we find ourselves mislabeling people because of what they say or don’t say and how they are dressed?
For instance, quieter folks are often seen as aloof, but in some cases, they just may need a bit more time to warm up to people.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are the loud and boisterous crew. They always appear to be happy and seek to put a smile on other’s faces. Some people are taken aback by this personality trait and will mislabel the person as lazy, but in reality some of the hardest working people I know are some of the funniest and brightest.
My friend enjoys dressing in costume during anime conventions. Often, if we go out to dinner afterwards, people stare at her and assume she’s either a “devil worshipper” or something equally as evil. But in reality, she’s a nice girl who loves Yorkies and happens to enjoy dressing up as her favorite anime characters.
My point is, the world is made up of a variety of different people. Sometimes your first impression of someone may be the right one. But, whether it is negative or positive, our opinion of people is something that we should come to only after we have spent a decent amount of time getting to know them. A person’s true colors may take a while to be revealed.
To be honest, I have had some hiccups when I ask people for a good morning and some won’t give me the day of time, but to those that have participated, I thank you. Some of my best conversations have taken place while meeting new people in the community.