"Have we met?"....."Oh, we've met!"

Years ago Head and Shoulders dandruff shampoo used the slogan "You never get a second chance to make a first impression."

In some ways I agree. I mean people would definitely remember you if you were the person all covered in dandruff when they met you.

But numerous times, we encounter people who we have met before and the encounter for both parties was not memorable. I'm not saying that it was a bad first meeting, it was just not a meeting that set anything int stone for either party involved.

That leads me to believe that you do many times get a second chance to make a first impression.

So what then? If our idea of someone can be set in stone by our first encounter with them, (an awkward evening, a mean comment, a social blunder) are we doing them a disservice? Are we telling them and ourselves that there is no chance for growth in this person and that they are going to stay the way they are forever? We may be doing just that.

We are all going through change in our lives, some of it incredibly tough and transformative. When we encounter other people, we also encounter what they are going through. Sometimes those things line up nicely and other times they can rub up against each other the wrong way.

For example: if you a someone who is working to re-associate yourself into a group of friends after someone in that group has been particularly mean encounters someone new in that group who makes a mean comment, they may very well not want to associate with that person because they have labeled them as mean. Where the person who said the mean comment may have just been trying to be funny because they feel awkward about being new to the group.

Get it?

I think we need to approach each other with fresh eyes more than we do. We need to allow others to make a new first impression. How many times have you said something to the effect of: "I can't believe they still think I'm like that?!" Yet, how many times do we do the very same thing to other people. We assume that they are exactly the same as when we met them and give them no chance to be more of who they are. This can cause us to miss out on some really great relationships.

Who will you let make a second "first impression" on your life? Who do you want to make a second "first impression" on?

I hope you have fresh eyes today and see each other in a new light today. (Oh, and that none of you are covered in dandruff.)