How long?

Do you have people in your life who, no matter how much you try to like them, seem to always do things which make it so difficult for you to like them?

We all make snap judgements about others within the first few seconds of meeting them, however those initial judgements are based on nothing more than looks and what others have told us. That’s probably why it can be hard to like someone when our initial impression of them is not a favourable one.

Having said that, basic courtesy tells me that we should be pleasant to others even if we don’t know them, or we do know them but are not friends with them. It can be particularly difficult to like someone when you continually try to be friendly toward them, maybe smiling at them when you see them or saying ‘good morning’ or just ‘hi’ when you meet them.

So when someone continually ignores your efforts to be pleasant or courteous towards them, it can be very frustrating. So much so we can question ourselves, and why we even bother to be pleasant to these people, but how long should we keep trying?

My answer – forever!

Forever is a long time, so you’re probably wondering why you should try for that long! Remember you have no idea what may be going on in those peoples’ lives just now, just as they don’t know what’s going on in yours. They may be going through a tough time so are focusing all their efforts on trying to ‘keep it together’ in public. So no matter how frustrating it might be to continue being pleasant and welcoming towards someone who continually ignores or blanks you, keep smiling at them, and keep saying ‘good morning’ or ‘hi’. By doing so, you may just convince them that they do matter, and so you may yet get an acknowledgement or response from them, one day!