Hi! 👋 I’m Jessa.

I blog daily about life, work, and the future.

Signals and misinterpretations

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We all make quick judgments about everyone and everything most of the time. This has made us more efficient in making decisions that sometimes, we don’t even think about brushing our teeth after a meal. We just do it.

The way we process day-to-day signals often looks like this:

flowchart on how we usually interpret signals every day

We have also learned to develop quick responses based on our choices and the experiences that made us either feel good or bad. And it may look like this:

flowchart on how we respond to good or bad experiences

But there are times where we mistake a particular situation as an experience we already had before. And when do, our default responses may produce unnecessary quibbles that will eventually evolve to hurt feelings and mistrust. Misunderstanding a signal may cost you opportunities or relationships.

So what should you do then?

When faced with a signal, both familiar or something new, you must think through your action first before acting out on it. Making this a habit might just save you from burning bridges you’re supposed to keep.

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