Learning not to say sorry

Image from HERE

I've been aware for some time that I apologise too much. I've been worried that a real apology sounds insincere because I appear to overuse the word sorry. A twitter chat around this area of my personality made me think more about it.

Some stupid like sorry's that I utter;

• I apologise when someone bumps into me in the street. It's not my fault, so why do I say sorry?
• If I ask someone for the time I immediately say "I'm sorry could you tell me what the time is please?". Why again am I apologising, a simple "Excuse me, could you tell me what the time is please?" would work better or maybe just wear my watch :-)
• If someone doesn't speak up I will say "I'm sorry I can't hear you"

The list could go on but I'll stop it there. Apparently these little "I'm sorry" moments are used in places where people need to ease tension in conversations. The things is I know that I've been doing this for sometime but the "I'm sorry" still seems to roll straight off the tongue and then I feel let down by myself. 

I have quite a stubborn side to my personality and in the past I have found it difficult to change different parts of the way I react and do things. As well as the stupid "I'm sorry" things I do I have also been sometimes too quick to say sorry in other situations too. I've said sorry to try to make things better in friendships and then realised all I have done is taken the blame when really it wasn't my fault. So then nothing got solved as I apologised to someone I shouldn't have and then I've brooded over that fact. Also I'm aware that I might across as a bit of a pushover as I'm the one who says sorry so people might take advantage.

So I'm starting on a new plan of action where I'm enrolling friends and family to remind me to stop with the little "Sorry" slip ups and concentrate on not blaming myself for everything that I seem to be apologising for. When I am sincerely Sorry then that's the best way to of course say "Sorry".

Because sometimes it's YOUR fault! ;-)

But only sometimes!