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Some things really do seem too good to be true. As attractive as a new person or situation may appear, something within you feels...off. Some people—notably those high in —can easily present themselves as terrific individuals with nothing but your best interests at heart. But in some cases, they may take advantage of, or even physically harm you. It can be difficult to detect their reality until it's too late, and you've been deceived by a con artist. But you can avoid such situations before they go too far if you truly listen to your inner voice.
Sometimes our inner voice reacts with undue alarm, especially if you’ve been hurt in similar situations before, and it may need to be tuned down. Erring on the side of caution, however, is probably less risky than disregarding possible consequences.
Consider this situation: You need extra help around your home and you want to hire someone reliable. A young woman who seems right for the position responds to your ad first. You feel pretty confident about hiring her, but you’re a tiny bit skeptical. The candidate explains that she is taking a break from school because she's unsure of what she wants to study. In fact, she’s had a few jobs in various areas and has relocated several times in the past couple of years.
You start to feel skeptical: Moved a lot? Changed job paths? Can’t stay in school? You may not be a career counselor, but this seems a little unreliable. Your skeptical thoughts recede, though, because she seems capable and is also quite charming and friendly. You decide to hire her.
After showing up once, your new assistant misses her next appointment and doesn’t return your calls. After a couple of weeks, you receive a voicemail in which she apologetically announces that she's taken a new job in a different town. Thinking back, you realize that you should’ve taken those initial skeptical thoughts more seriously. You vow that next time, you will either call a person’s references or make your decision based on how capable, not how nice, the person appears.