If superpowers were not just a thing in the movies, for me the most powerful one would be reading minds. Have you ever met someone, and depending on the occasion that brought you together wondered. Who is this person besides this?
Picture this, it’s your first day at work. The HR walks you around the office introducing you to creatures you are going to be spending a lot of time with in the near future. Among those creatures exits one that you could end up loving to death, one that could become your worst nightmare. Some, you might end up f***ing the shit out of (not that I am encouraging it, DO YOU or whoever you prefer to do). With some, you might end up forming lifetime bonds.
These creatures are busy trying to figure you out. Trying to decide what your first impression of them is. Some have already judged you. Some instantly like you and will spend the next couple of days trying to be the ones you click with. Some will pretend to like you. To some, this is a chance to present themselves differently to a newbie. This is their chance of redemption. The whole company has most probably already branded them as something. Most probably something they are not happy or comfortable with. They feel misunderstood. You are a fresh chance for them to show who they are. And for some, it is a fresh chance to pretend.
So, after a few minutes of trying to cramp up as many names into your memory as you can. You finally give up. The names leave your head as fast as they come in. So for the next couple of days. You will have nothing much to do. So much of that time is spent trying to figure people out. Some will say, judging people from appearance and maybe the few words you might be lucky to share with them.
Life has taught you that there is always more to people than what you see. That people almost always have multiple layers. And these are either exposed by time or trust. You know it either takes a long time for someone’s true side to be exposed or they choose to trust you enough to show you. So at the time being you have very little to work with. So for the first few weeks, you will be judging people by how they look. The clothes they wear. What they have for lunch. Who they seem to be friends with and even the phones they use.
We meet people on different occasions and most times unless we have known them previously they will only disclose what relates to the occasion.
Now, since the superpower of reading people’s minds only exists in movies. I have developed a superpower of mine. Or simply put, a way of getting to know people over a short period. And the secret lies in trusting your instincts and being honest and a little vulnerable. I will explain.
Firstly, if you are not shy about meeting people and not choosy about the kind of interactions you make. For instance, you are not the kind of person to be heard saying.
‘’ I don’t like loud people” or
“ I hate people who talk too much”
Then you will find your interactions lead you to a wide variety of characters. And this is where you develop your prowess in being able to figure out different people. Sometimes even without having much interaction with them. You get to understand how people with different characters react in different scenarios. You discover how shy people behave. You can spot the naughty ones from a distance and sieve them out from the uptight and reserved. You can equally have a conversation with both.
Honesty and vulnerability come in when this power lets you down and you find certain people a hard nut to crack. I have come to believe and somewhat be convinced that the easiest way to connect with someone is by sharing your secrets.
Yes, I am also aware that this is also the fastest way to embarrass yourself or a direct ticket to depression once your secrets leak to people they shouldn’t. But hear me out. Sharing something that most people wouldn’t or consider private and wouldn’t ordinarily share with just anyone, always shouts.
“I trust you!”
And this in turn gives the other person the confidence to also share something they would ordinarily not share with you. This leads to one of the most candid conversations you will ever have and sometimes with a total stranger.
I know some of you might say this is walking on a tightrope. And yes, it takes a lot of guts and someone willing to take a risk to open up. But doing so uncomplicates the world just a little bit less.
My conclusion is this, a lot is happening in each of our lives. And it’s never really written on to our faces. It’s hard to get a complete idea of what a person is all about by just looking at them. Or by the clothes they wear, or even by our first few minutes of small talk. If only we could read minds. Then we wouldn’t need to talk to one another. But, until that happens I believe conversations are the closest thing we have to a superpower such as reading minds. So every time I hold a deep and meaningful conversation with someone. An engaging conversation for both parties, one where we both have something to share. And in turn, something to learn about one another I always leave feeling fulfilled. Happy to have built a connection with someone, to have created a bond. Learned something about someone else and above everything else learned something new about this person that the world most probably doesn’t know. And to me, that is the closest I can get to saying my superpower is reading people’s minds.
