Do you catch yourself saying “I’m sorry” throughout the day for little things?
Please stop over-apologizing.
I see this sort of epidemic of people (especially many women) apologizing far too much! Almost every time I hear someone say “I’m sorry,” there was nothing to apologize for. It’s more of a habit we’ve been conditioned into. (Ugh, I hate to admit it but I just caught myself doing it this morning.)
If you did something wrong, then please apologize. Please do so appropriately, professionally, and courteously.
But if you are, say, running late for a meeting and you apologize three times or fifteen times, it’s a little bit obnoxiously annoying to everyone. In some cases, the infinite “I’m sorry, sorry, sorry…” implies a person is apologetic for even being alive.
Let’s fix this! My suggestions:
- Notice how often you say “I’m sorry,” and for what.
- Change your verbiage. Perhaps, instead of saying “Sorry” for bumping into a person, try “Excuse me.” Yes, it’s just semantics—yet somehow it feels less inferior in context.
Please, I implore you to feel strong and empowered as a human being, and to stop over-apologizing!
Almost every time I hear someone say “I’m sorry,” there was nothing to apologize for.