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Go ahead, make your jokes.... I know I have a big mouth. Well, not literally, but my mouth very often does take off before the brain is in gear. I've hurt a lot of people that way.
I get myself into trouble in 2 ways: something I've said, or the way I said it.
"Something I've said": I most often screw up in the area of blurting secrets that shouldn't be shared. A word of advice: if you're telling me something that you don't want discussed, tell me outright that I'm not to discuss it! If I know up front, you'll have a much better chance of me not saying something!! My problem is, I get caught up in a conversation, and in my attempt to enter or continue in a conversation, I may bring something up that really shouldn't have been. I can't count the number of times that I've said something, only to regret it minutes later.
"The way I said it": my other extremely annoying conversation trait (which I hate most of all), is that too many times, I'll say something and have it come across in a way that sounds snobbish, condescending, patronizing, or just plain rude and impatient. Once again, the mouth is in gear before the brain has had a chance to temper what I'm saying. So many times, the way I speak is very off-putting to say the least, and can actually be quite hurtful to others.
I'm sorry.
I don't do it on purpose. (or "on-purposely", as I used to say as a kid) I don't realise what I've done until well after the fact, and often by that time, it's too late to take it back. All I can do is apologise, and try to do better next time. James (the biblical one) was right about our need to "tame the tongue", because it very often is the source of needless conflicts, and it inflicts unnecessary pain. It's something I've been working on, but I'm not sure if I'm really seeing any improvements yet. I guess when the stress levels go up, I tend to lose patience more quickly, and that's when most of the trouble occurs. That's no excuse, though, and I can't let myself get away with it.
I have one request: If I've said something to you, and you don't like either what I've said, or the way I've said it, or even both, please call me on it! Maybe, if enough people tell me what I'm doing wrong when I do it, I'll better be able to keep that pesky mouth of mine in check....
I get myself into trouble in 2 ways: something I've said, or the way I said it.
"Something I've said": I most often screw up in the area of blurting secrets that shouldn't be shared. A word of advice: if you're telling me something that you don't want discussed, tell me outright that I'm not to discuss it! If I know up front, you'll have a much better chance of me not saying something!! My problem is, I get caught up in a conversation, and in my attempt to enter or continue in a conversation, I may bring something up that really shouldn't have been. I can't count the number of times that I've said something, only to regret it minutes later.
"The way I said it": my other extremely annoying conversation trait (which I hate most of all), is that too many times, I'll say something and have it come across in a way that sounds snobbish, condescending, patronizing, or just plain rude and impatient. Once again, the mouth is in gear before the brain has had a chance to temper what I'm saying. So many times, the way I speak is very off-putting to say the least, and can actually be quite hurtful to others.
I'm sorry.
I don't do it on purpose. (or "on-purposely", as I used to say as a kid) I don't realise what I've done until well after the fact, and often by that time, it's too late to take it back. All I can do is apologise, and try to do better next time. James (the biblical one) was right about our need to "tame the tongue", because it very often is the source of needless conflicts, and it inflicts unnecessary pain. It's something I've been working on, but I'm not sure if I'm really seeing any improvements yet. I guess when the stress levels go up, I tend to lose patience more quickly, and that's when most of the trouble occurs. That's no excuse, though, and I can't let myself get away with it.
I have one request: If I've said something to you, and you don't like either what I've said, or the way I've said it, or even both, please call me on it! Maybe, if enough people tell me what I'm doing wrong when I do it, I'll better be able to keep that pesky mouth of mine in check....
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