You can learn a lot through reading, school, on the job classes. But unless you couple it with experience, it’s like a free floating fact in your brain…interesting, but what do you do with it?

If you haven’t had the experiences yet, listen to your instincts.

A good friend who astonishes me in his ability to size people based on very little information explains his prowess this way:

“I grew up in a tough neighborhood in Brooklyn. So when a guy’s walking down the street towards you, you need to be able to size up pretty quickly whether or not he’s going to shake your hand, or knock you out. Are they a friend, or a hustler?”

Our ability to rationalize and over-think things often gets in the way of our instincts. When your instinct kicks in, listen.