Perspective is Everything - Friendless Idiot or F*ing Philosopher? (TED Talk)

Isn't it amazing how someone is perceived in a competitive environment?

I had lunch a few days ago with a really successful guy from one of the top companies of the world. We talked about his MBA school days...

He said that everyone in the classroom had to introduce themselves and share a short story about their accomplishments on the first day of class.

He found out around 2-4 months later, they weren't so impressive. They had actually let him down. They weren't anything like their stories...and he was much better than he had originally thought. He had been so intimidated by his peers - but in actuality, he was one of the best.

Isn't it amazing?

How a simple introduction, a short 1-minute introductory speech listing off brag points - can literally influence your perception of someone for months, sometimes years, sometimes even a lifetime?

How do we know when someone is great, or it's just how they're framing themselves?

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Big fan of Rory Sutherland...

"Sometimes you just want to stand there silently alone with your thoughts. Sometimes you just want to stand in the corner and stare out of the window. Now, the problem is - when you can't smoke - if you stand and stare out the window on your own - you're an anti-social, friendless idiot. If you stand and stare out the window on your own with a cigarette - you're a fucking philosopher.

...So the power of reframing things, cannot be overstated - what we have is exactly the same thing, the same activity - but one of them makes you feel great, and the other one, with just a small change of posture, makes you feel terrible."