Does it really matter if you never get a second chance to make a first impression if you make a better one next time?

I know I am just one person, but this advice has made me wonder. I haven’t always made the best first impressions with people, but that doesn’t always matter in my experience. In fact, some of the people I did not get along with at first have become some of my closest friends.

People I have never talked to before might be rude to me and I might have a low opinion of them at first. Those would be first impressions, wouldn’t they? If first impressions were the only things that mattered in communication between human beings, why then would we end up getting along after we learn that we strongly agree on at least one other issue or have a huge interest in at least one other area?

I am not big on making first impressions. I am one of those “You can take me or leave me” women. I don’t want to change for anyone and I certainly do not want to put a huge effort into making a great first impression. To me, that is shallow… even fake. Once people learn this about me, they seem to feel more comfortable around me—more sure of themselves, not like they have to impress me. This is not something that people can always tell based on a first impression.

I feel like talking to people naturally is best. I feel like it’s how you talk to people, not whether or not you made a good first impression, that is important.

If someone who was rude to me before wants to talk to me again and talks to me respectfully when he or she does, I would gladly welcome that. I don’t like writing people off for life. I am totally open to finding common ground with people. In fact, the less bad opinions I feel the need to have about someone, the better.

What do you think? Do you write people off over a bad first impression? Do you allow one meeting to taint how you view the person and his or her entire life? How deeply do first impressions affect you?