“My Birth Year Says 1957 — My Ego Strongly Disagrees.”

After reading all the other answers to this prompt, I realized something important: apparently everyone else on Earth is applying for sainthood.

“I want people to see that I’m warm.”
“I hope they feel my honesty.”
“I want my first impression to radiate compassion, integrity, and inner peace.”

Okay, Oprah.

Meanwhile, here I am scrolling through these answers thinking, Are we all doing the same assignment? You say you want people to think your are honest?

So let me give you the real answer.
The one most people my age think but never say out loud, because we’re too busy pretending we meditate, journal, and glow with emotional wisdom.

Ready?
Here it is:

I want people to think I still look 50.

There. Boom. Honesty.
Not “warm.” Not “inviting.” Not “spiritually aligned with the universe.”

No.
I want strangers to look at me and think,
“Wow, I bet that guy’s still got cartilage left.”

Because let’s be honest — when you’re this close to 70, you are no longer chasing character traits…
you’re chasing lighting.

And I’m not talking soft lighting.
I’m talking witness protection lighting.

The kind of lighting where you walk past someone and they go,
“Oh, he looks great! Must be in his early fifties!”
Because they can’t actually see your face.
Perfect. Exactly the impression I’m going for.

And while everyone else is out here writing poetic lines about “being open to other perspectives,” I’m over here sucking in my stomach and hoping nobody takes a photo from the side.

Warmth?
Honesty?
Blah blah blah.

Give me one good angle, a supportive hoodie, and a daughter who knows how to use the “smooth skin” filter.

Boom.
First impression achieved.