Care more about the last impression

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You might have come across the age-old adage that goes something like this- “First impression is the last impression”

But is it true?

It tells you that you need to show off in the beginning to form a great impression on someone. But History has it that people left great impressions in the beginning and later turned out traitors.

The best example of this is Marcus Brutus from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. A good friend of the mighty king and a man of honor, he was one of the main characters involved in the murder conspiracy of Caesar. Period.

In the beginning, people can act flawless but as time passes by, their behaviors change. No one can be a charming bonehead throughout.

Hence, won’t it be a great gesture to not judge people in the beginning but see how they progress and come across?

For doing this, one needs to have empathy as well as the patience to understand the intentions of others.

How the last impression became long-lasting: Story from school

Back then, I was a sincere nerd who usually kept to herself. Kind of an introvert. On the first day of school in the ninth grade, I indulged in an argument with one of my classmates.

“Shut up as your comments are falling on the deaf ears,” I said and got up from my seat in agitation.

Our teacher who was observing this condemned me for misbehaving in the class. The result?

The first impression was ruined.

Later, after I got to know that the same teacher had mistakingly given me two extra marks on my test paper, I pointed it out to her. The final impression?

She acknowledged my honesty and sincerity throughout the session and I left a great lifelong impression on her.

At times we meet people and assume their character by the silly mistakes they make.

But is it a good idea to judge someone based on a small flaw?

Let’s take an example. Suppose, you are an introvert and attend an office party for the first time. In this scenario, you will be nervous, and chances are that you would do something silly out of social anxiety.

Now imagine, you spill a drink over someone’s expensive gown and run away, or worst, crack a stupid joke that offends someone. Now, this person has no idea that you did this unintentionally. However, they might think of you as a clumsy, patronizing asshole.

While you don’t want to be judged in the above scenario, if you were to swap lives with the person on whom you spilled the drink, you would judge them the same way they did.

Is there a way to improve your first impression after it is spoiled?

Although a lot of people might rant about the importance of the first impression, it’s foolish to rely on the belief you form about someone’s character at first glance.

Moreover, how someone is can never be judged by their minor flaws. Unfortunately, these flaws sometimes become the only source of judgment of their character, which is weird.

It is a good idea to be empathetic while judging someone. Try to put yourself in their shoe before you judge them and you would be less vulnerable to other people’s judgment too.

If you know about the law of cause and effect, the above sentence will become clear to you. It says,

Whatever you give to the universe, a good deed or a bad deed, you get it back.

In other words, if you believe in doing good to others and stick to your values, the same will be returned to you by the universe.

Behave how you want others to behave with you. If you want them to not judge you for something, you have to ensure that you do the same.

Don’t go about impressing everyone

Not everyone’s opinions matter.

Furthermore, not all have the capability of handling others with empathy. Most people are more concerned about themselves and less about others. So, focus on making great impressions on people who are important to you.

If you keep trying to impress everyone, you will slowly turn miserable. Hence, it’s better to know who matters.

A great heart doesn’t need to care about others’ opinions

Do you know who needs to worry about creating a good impression? People who are not genuinely good and lack the quality that they pretend to have. The authentic ones already know how to form strong relationships with people as it comes naturally to them.

Remember,

The ones who like judging others will do that no matter what you do. Keep spreading positive energy for, no bad impression can beat the goodness of the heart.

Conclusion

In this article, I shared why the last impression is important and how one can focus on making it long-lasting. I also shared a story from my school days to explain how last impressions are more impactful.

After all, a good heart is all one needs to form a great relationship with someone. What do you think?