Am I a good judge of character?

“Judging another man’s character doesn’t define who they are, it definitely defines who you are. “

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Is It Just Me, or is “Judging Character” Actually Really Hard?

​I used to think I was a total pro at reading people. You know the feeling—you meet someone for two seconds and you think, “Yeah, I’ve got their whole vibe figured out.” But the older I get, the more I realize that people are way more mysterious than we give them credit for.

​Appearance vs. Reality

​I’ve made it a rule to try not to judge too much. I’m well aware that you can’t truly know someone just by looking at them or having one quick conversation. People will surprise you! Sometimes the person you thought was “this way” turns out to be “that way” entirely. Honestly, I don’t think anyone is actually a perfect judge of character because humans are just too complex to be solved in a first meeting.

​That 9-out-of-10 Rule

​Don’t get me wrong—I still listen to my gut. Usually, if I get a weird feeling about someone, nine times out of ten, my intuition is spot on. But it’s that one time out of ten that really gets me. There’s always that one person who completely surprises me and turns out to be nothing like I expected.

​Why I Play It Safe

​That one-in-ten chance is exactly why I try to stay open-minded. I never want to treat someone unfairly just because I had a certain “idea” of who they were in my head. There is nothing worse than realizing you were wrong about someone after you’ve already been cold or dismissive toward them.

​At the end of the day, I’d rather give someone the benefit of the doubt than be “right” about a bad vibe.

​What about you? Are you a “trust your gut” person, or do you give everyone a clean slate? Let’s chat in the comments!