Goal for the Day: Look Closer

Had I not taken the time to take a closer look at the box pictured below, I would have missed out on a wonderful find. If I’d just dismissed it because it wasn’t appealing on my first glance, a valuable antique could have gone unnoticed. That same concept applies to so many things.


How often do we let our first impressions color our actions? How many things and people go unnoticed because we can’t be bothered with a second look? Many of us are blessed with good instincts which instruct us on how to react. Even those with the best instincts should use some discretion before we pass judgment. Question yourself and what motivates you.

When selecting the people with whom we surround ourselves, we should “interview” them all as if we were going to hire them for a job. In essence we are. We’re hiring them to be a friend, a business associate, or a mate. Sometimes our first impressions can be wrong. Take a closer look.

I can only use the example of my dog, Bertie. He was dismissed as a “bad” dog—untrainable, disagreeable. He was a puppy who was left in a chicken coop. A terrier puppy is going to eat chickens when he has the chance. Who leaves a puppy in a chicken coop? So, they got rid of him. Had his previous owners taken the time to get to know him, they’d have seen that he is the sweetest, most gentle dog in the world. All he needed was a chance to show it.

Everyone and everything deserves that chance. Wipe away the grime and see what you find. If it’s worthless, keep going. If it’s valuable, everyone wins. Just remember, your loss could be someone else’s gain.