I had a dream last night about photographing someone and taking a light meter reading of their face. As I was doing that, I was saying to myself, “I wonder how I meter their light inside.”

Shakespeare told us, “The eyes are the window to your soul.” And yes, they are the leading indicator as to the amount of inside light someone is projecting.

You learn in photography that smiling isn’t necessarily an indicator as to how light someone is feeling, unless the smile makes it to their eyes. There’s a little crinkle on the outside corners of the eyes that reveals if the smile is genuine.

I think everyone is naturally good at something – something they didn’t work at – something that comes to them naturally. For me, it’s knowing how someone is feeling almost immediately after seeing or hearing them.

When I first discovered that I had this skill, I wanted to know how I knew. Eventually, the answer came to me. If I met them in person, it was their eyes that told me the story. If it was over the phone, it was their voice that gave me the clues.

Want to know how light or dark someone is feeling inside? Pay close attention to what’s showing up on the outside.

After you get a little better at this, people will wonder if you have a little bit of psychic in you. You do! It comes from getting out of your head and paying attention to what’s right there in front of you.

All the best,

John

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