Do you know that feeling you have when you are exposed to a brand new environment and you have no prior experience to fall back on? It might have been when you started university, or your first job.

During these times, your senses are on alert. You’re watching carefully what is happening around you, and trying to quickly learn the right behavior to succeed in the new environment.

The second job is not the same, even if it’s with a new company.  You now have some experience to fall back on, and you’re thinking about what’s different rather than building new behaviors.

Those times when everything is new make you sensitive to imprinting: building beliefs and behaviors that last for the rest of your life. Imprints layer one on top of the other, and you never really get rid of them.

Your first job, your first romantic relationship, your first child, your first big failure. Your story is a story of firsts. Everything else is forgettable.