The Orange Test: How Do You Judge People?

Here's a 10 second experiment:

Step 1: Think about about any quality that you admire in other people. For example, you might respect intelligence, leadership, or talent.

Step 2: Now think of a person or two who has that quality.

Step 3: Take a moment to think about HOW you determined that the people you thought about in Step 2 possessed the good quality that you thought about in Step 1.

For example, if you respect intelligence, maybe you like your boss because they are analytical or perhaps you admire your sister-in-law for her wide range of knowledge. If you focused on leadership, you might have thought of one leader because they are financial successful or another leader because they motivate their team. If you thought about talent then you might like Meryl Streep or Gary Oldman because they disappear into their rolls, or you may like Dwayne Johnson because he always brings something of himself (his unique charm) to every roll he plays.

Here's the important thing about YOU: I'll bet that when you judge other people on whether or not they are smart, talented, or successful, you probably NEVER thought to ask yourself "What does that person think of ME?"

If you were suddenly famous, would you think that Bill Gates was a moron if he didn't like you? Would you say that a widely respected artist or athlete had no talent simply because they didn't like you? Would you think that everybody on the Forbes ranking of wealthiest people in the world was a complete failure because they didn't like you?

Of course not.

You evaluate people on their merits, not on whether they adore you. You passed the test.

If you meet anybody who would praise or dismiss others simply because "That guy likes me" or "That guy hates me," then be careful because you are standing next to a dangerous narcissist.