You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as
bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated - send to: GregReid@AlwaysGood.comThe 99 Percent Rule
It's Friday night, you're sitting at a restaurant, and as your meal arrives, server says, "Now, don't touch that plate. It's hot." What's first thing you do?
Well, 99% of time you're going to touch that plate, right?
I call it 99% rule. It's closer to 100%, but I give myself a little "out" for those who wish to find a loophole in it.
After years of studying human behavior, I've come up with a few of these 99% rules that I wish to share with you today. Looking for these common denominators in everyday conversation will help you read between lines more quickly.
When someone starts a sentence with it's not, they're usually trying to tell you what something really is without hurting your feelings.
When someone starts a sentence with I don't, they're trying to direct you without hurting your feelings.
Here are some examples of first rule in action.
When they say, "It's not you, it's me," they're trying to tell you that it is you. (Since I date quite a bit, I hear this one quite often!)
When they say, "It's not that you're too short," they're trying to tell you that they think you are too short.
When they say, "It's not that I have a drinking problem," what probably comes out of their mouth next is a story about how they drank too much.
Get picture? But please don't take my word for this. Listen for yourself. It will amaze you.
