Look people in the eye

I keep forgetting to do this. It’s not a habit. And now that I’m working from home again, it’s going to be harder.

Maybe I should start with television shows again. Put a sticky note on the screen while I watch, to remind myself to look people in the eye. Some practice would be better than none.

I’ve made some progress, but not much. I’m practicing with the television and when I’m out shopping, but it’s not a habit yet. I need to remind myself constantly.

One thing I did notice… I get very strange looks when I catch other people’s eye. I don’t know if I’m doing it wrong, or if other people aren’t used to it, or what. Some people turn away quickly. Some look back and smile. Some girls flirt! Others give me the evil eye.

It’s a hard habit to break. I walked into the office saying “look eye, look eye”, but by lunchtime I realized that I had forgotton it most of the morning.

But I realized that I also read lips when I’m watching television, so I’m going to practice looking at the eyes on telelvision.

I used to think that I was always a bit hard of hearing, so that’s why I’d focus on peoples lips and mouths when they talked instead of their eyes. After all, when someone is talking, that’s where the sound comes from so isn’t it natural to look at the mouth instead of the eye? No. And I’m not hard of hearing. I’ve had hearing tests done and that’s not the problem. It’s probably psychological – not enough self-confidence or such.

Anyway, I’m going to start looking people in the eye. I’m always reminded of Mr. Miyagi in the first Karate Kid… “Look eye, always look eye.”