How Introducing Yourself to a Stranger can Change your Life
There is a lot of power and potential in the moments just before you meet someone for the first time.
Whether its a stranger, a friend of a friend, or someone you know you are about to introduce yourself to. That first second where you catch one another’s eyes — you have no idea what will come next.
I once heard a story about a married couple who both remember — and testify to their memory — that they laughed uncontrollably when they first met each other at a party in University. They burst out with laughter, simultaneously, for no apparent reason. They didn’t consciously know why they were laughing at the time — maybe they had just been a bit drunk — but, they believe that part of them knew, deeper down in the subconscious. They didn’t know what exactly the future had in store for them — but they intuitively knew that there was a future, and that they would see each other again. They have been together ever since.
The predictive habits of the brain are often correct, but also often difficult to believe or listen to all the time. Recent findings on memory tell us that there is no one area of the brain responsible for creating and storing memories — but a combination of neurons and brain regions. These regions have also been linked to our ability to imagine and predict the future — which may be why, when we are recalling our memories, we distort them — almost activating them, and using our imagination to fill in the gaps — each time we recall a memory.
When we are about to meet someone new — our mind automatically tries to predict things about that person, and the future of our relationship. What are they like? Will we get on well together? Will I ever see this person again? Sometimes we guess and we’re wrong — but, other times, if we listen closely enough to our intuition, we may feel a sense of how likely we are to interact with this person again.
We meet someone new, a stranger, without expectations — but, in the back of our minds, we know all the possibilities. They could become our new best friend, our biggest inconvenience, or even the greatest love of our lives.
So, go out there and talk to strangers and meet new people — you never know who they might turn out to be. Find beauty in the unpredictability of life — and always remember that when you meet a stranger — you’re a stranger to them, too.
