To the left you’ll see a mug that was handpainted by my daughter Laura at school 4 months ago. Heh, the lines aren’t so straight but she painted it with love!
Laura hadn’t seen the mug for 4 months when in yesterday’s lesson the class had to handpaint drink coasters.
Laura said she had the choice of about 20 different colours to choose from in painting the coaster. She said she started painting and just painted whatever colours came into her head.
Perfect Sequence
When Laura got the coaster home she fished out the mug from the back of the cupboard. Incredibly, the coaster she painted yesterday matched up perfectly in sequence with the colours she painted on the mug 4 months ago.
Coincidence?
She was amazed at the coincidence. And I would have been too except I’ve read Malcolm Gladwell’s brilliant book ‘Blink’ where he talks “about the kind of thinking that happens in a blink of an eye.”
You see, what I think happened, and I’m sure Malcolm would agree, is that Laura’s mind remembered the colours and their sequence on the mug from 4 months ago.
Her random selection of colours and their sequence on the coaster was anything but. It was actually the incredible power of the mind showing off a bit and saying “Heh, even though you don’t remember with your conscious mind what colours you used, a part of your brain does…..and here they are.”
That’s The Power
That’s the power of the mind and demonstrates the importance of first impressions. Because people will remember things (even if they don’t think they do).
What your first impression like?
Cheers
Do you ever get sick of this book? Just on this blog alone you have quoted Blink at least 5-6 times. I would hate to think how much you use this in daily conversation. I should never have recommended it to you 😉
Ha!
The book makes so much sense for so many situations it ain’t funny. If I hadn’t of read the book I would have gone along with Laura’s “It’s a coincidence” thinking.
But it wasn’t a coincidence. It has an interesting basis behind it that is applicable to so many areas of our life – first impressions count, first answers are right, gut instinct is right, etc.
By the way Anthony – Blink. That’s 7 times now!!
Cheers
Brendon