Why I HATE the "first impressions" concept....

There is a concept that is a very big aspect of life for many of us. The concept is called "first impressions." The basic idea is that your first impression that you give to someone or that you see of someone can be a determining factor of who they are as a whole or who they will be moving forward. While I understand first impressions, I want to talk about why I hate first impressions.

I'm a true believer that just because someone acts one way the first time you meet them does not mean they will be that way moving forward (positive & negatively speaking). There are people who will give you the impression from the beginning that they are a very nice person to get along with and then as time rolls on you discover that they are very mean spirited. Is that a fair first impression? Or maybe it's someone who in your first impression of them came off as mean, closed, arrogant but after spending time with them you discovered that they were nice, very open, and willing to talk. Is that a fair first impression?

I'm concerned that many of us miss opportunities for good relationships with others because of the idea of first impressions. I believe in the power of change. I also believe in the concept of phony. There are many phony people in the world who will put on a front to you and not show you the real "you." I think a case could be made that our world supports the idea of being phony via "fake it till you make it." I am also concerned that instead of looking for the growth of the individual we stay focused on the first impression. This is worst on social networking sites in which some may have never met each other face to face. It's easy to put on a front on social networking sites.

At the end of the day, my wish is that we would not judge people based solely on first impressions. I am not eliminating the idea that someone people based on "first impressions" will remain that way. Not eliminating that idea at all. I'm saying that we should give each other a chance to really show who we are. On a personal note, this is a very big fear I have. I honestly know some of the critical aspects of myself that some say but I'm afraid that they get that impression based on not talking to me often, never meeting me face to face, OR never spending time to talk to me. This is a very big concern for me.

Before judging on first impressions, let's try to get to know people for who they essentially are.