Balance strengths or they will be your downfall.

I realized this from a History Channel documentary about Alexander Great. Many scholars rate him as history’s greatest military commander.

He was a brilliant strategist. Military historians still study his tactics more than 2,300 years after he executed them.

A charismatic leader, Alexander commanded from front line. Always in thick of battle and suffering every hardship, he never asked his troops to do anything he would not do himself.

(If you are a manager, apply this lesson. You will earn unwavering respect.)

His determination was legendary. He conquered Tyre by building a half-mile causeway across a bay even after defenders destroyed his first attempt.

By all accounts, he was utterly fearless and completely confident. We are still in awe even after 23 centuries.

But then there’s story of Alexander Human.

They impress mind with thoughts and feelings that last even if they were formed in error.

Fortunately, if first impressions weren’t good ones, we can modify them with new information.

For good or ill, our first impression of anything looms large. This will resonate indefinitely unless we do something to change it.

Consider our first impression of a person. Suppose someone strikes us as friendly, jovial, sullen, or arrogant. Unless we later realize that we caught person on a particularly good or bad day, first impression remains.

Reinforce that first impression with emotional power and mind installs it into our internal thermostat.

This acts just like a living room thermostat.

In our homes, whether we open or close windows, mechanism strives to keep room temperature constant.

We have to change thermostat if we want to change temperature.