Follow The Pen, Follow The Clock

I’m fascinated by the things in life that will never lie to
you.

Dogs and children and nature and mirrors and dumbbells and
thermometers and bank accounts and human bodies, these are humanity’s greatest
reference points, the givers of perspective, the beacons of truth we can always
turn to.

Especially in moments of uncertainty.

When you’re sitting across the table from a person who can
potentially hire or buy or date or join or whatever verb will cause your
relationship to move to the desired level, you’re always on the lookout for
signals. Unconscious indicators of interest. Personal tells in the poker game
of human interaction.

And there are millions of varieties, but here are my two
favorites:

If the person you’re talking to starts taking notes,
congratulations. It’s a silent compliment of the highest order. Taking notes is
proof of interest, attention and message reception. It shows that what you’re
saying is worth capturing, considering, saving and revisiting. And that the
other person might take action on something you said. After all, if you don’t write
it down, it never happened, right? Right?

If the person you’re
talking to checks the time and the conversation doesn’t end, congratulations. Time
is the most valuable asset people don’t own. The story they tell
themselves about time is the overriding narrative of their day-to-day lives. And
if they weren’t interested in deepening the relationship, they would’ve ended the
meeting by now. After all, nobody has time for anything or anyone anymore,
right? Right?

Follow the pen, follow the clock.

They will never lie to you.