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good mornin you,

every relationship from friend to boss to lover starts with the same thing.

a first impression.

last week we learned where we find friends with 7 out 10 coming from places we frequent.

in these places like work, the gym, school, we encounter many people, but only some make the switch from stranger to friend.

a lot of that has to do with your first impression.

and i think currently we live in a world where people spend more time thinking about their online persona than their offline person.

the old saying goes that a picture is worth a thousand words. and while this may be true, i hope that by the end of this email you understand how your first impression is a worth a million words.

a novel.

a damn bestseller.

you’ve likely heard the other old saying that "you never get a second chance to make a first impression."

but did you know you only have 7 seconds to make that first impression? yes, you read that right, a measly SEVEN seconds.

less time than it takes to sing the happy birthday song ONCE.

[btw — is the hbd song ruined for anyone else thanks to covid hand-washing protocols?]

anyways, in those 7 seconds, a person makes snap judgements about you across 11 dimensions. it’s known as the 7/11 rule.

the 11 dimensions include:

1. education level

2. economic level

3. level of success

4. trustworthiness

5. sexual orientation

6. ethnic background

7. political background

8. religious background

9. level of sophistication

10. social / professional desirability

11. perceived credibility, believability, competence & honesty

this 7/11 rule is like the convenient store and applies everywhere. interviews. dates. networking. sales. shopping.

most of these snap judgments are made before you've even said a word.

in fact, studies show that 93% of someone’s initial impression of you has nothing to do with what you actually say.

55% of the impression is visual [what we see]
and 38% is vocal [how we hear].

you may initially blow this off, but you shouldn’t.

95% of people believe first impressions are very important.
68% are convinced that their first impressions are accurate.
61% are confident that they can spot a fake instantly.

a 2018 survey from dollar shave club investigated the top contributors to making a good and bad first impression.

for a good first impression: majority of participants, 53% agreed that the most important factors were a genuine smile & polite behavior.

for a bad first impression: 66% of survey participants agreed that the biggest culprit is smelling bad. followed closely by arrogance at 62%.

in short: smile nice, be nice, smell nice.

you're communicating volumes before you even open your mouth.

and your first impression could lead to a new friend, a new job, a new client, or even a new lover.

the research above proves the importance of first impressions, but you’ve experienced first impressions firsthand so you know the magic involved.

the silent conversation that occurs between our energetic selfs.

i’m a big believer in giving the energy you want to receive.

lead with being genuine & caring to get that back in return.

once you open the door to being real, others will follow.

since first impressions are all about nonverbal cues, the message this week is nonverbal too.

take time to notice & connect with the people you cross paths with and do two silly easy things:

in the mail world, your envelope & stamp make the first impression. which is why i always include bright envelopes & only sell fabulous stamps.

stoked to announce, two more new product categories:

#1) folded greeting cards: yay more space for you to write! the cards currently come in two existing designs that were fan favorites & in one new design i created for a friend.

#2) my first notecard set: a 12 pack of birthday cards featuring the watercolor birthstone of that month.

i know from personal experience that the easiest way to start sending more cards is to keep more cards on hand so get excited for more sets in the coming weeks 🤗

P.P.S. if you enjoy this newsletter or want to help out my small one woman business, i would so appreciate you either signing up for my merry membership or forwarding this along to a friend. together we’re making the world so merry one card & day at a time!