Don’t miss on the opportunity!

Being judgmental is pretty easy. So much that some times we are being it without even realizing it. It’s enough that somebody makes an “unfriendly” face at us, for us to start thinking that they don’t like us, they are whishing us ill or that they are just unbearable.

Of course there are some people who do not have the greatest charm and who are a little more complex than the rest. However, more often than not, our prejudice makes us elevate the things we don’t like in them to exaggerated heights.
And that’s when we deny ourselves the opportunity to see the good in them. We close the possibility of connecting with them and miss the chance to learn from them, benefit from their company or maybe even miss out on a great friendship.

I know this well because in the past, I’ve made this mistake more times than I’d like to admit, judging and classifying people on a first impression. But also because in some other occasions I have allowed me the chance to wait to get to know them better before I form an opinion on them.

I must confess that even these last few weeks I’ve made the mistake of judging the intellectual and professional capacity of one specific person just because I don’t think the way he treats people is the right one. And I’m not trying to excuse his ill manners now; I’m still in complete disagreement with his style. I’m just thinking that instead of judging, criticizing and classifying him, I will try to change my approach with this person, pushing my prejudice aside and opening myself to listen to what he has to say and to share. Who knows, maybe I’ll even learn something great from him and help him change his approach to other people too.

So here’s this week’s question: Are you passing judgment on someone? Are you doing it right now? If so: Do you think you can allow yourself the opportunity to push your prejudice aside to get to know them better?

What say you?