Apologizing when necessary is a good trait, separating you from unempathetic people. However, apologizing too often can put you in a position to be disrespected and taken advantage of. Take a look at the following 17 things you should never say sorry for, and you’ll see what we mean!
Saying “No”
Saying no should never be something to feel bad about or apologize for. Apologizing sends the message that you were wrong in your decision, which could make some people feel entitled to a “yes” when it comes to time, effort, and even money.
Removing a Thorn From Your Life
There are people in your life who bring the worst out of you, draining you physically, mentally, and emotionally. When you find the courage to cut these people off, you should never apologize, as you are doing what is best for your life.
Failing
Speaking to Newsweek, Robert Wilson, an expert in neural and cognition systems, shares that failure is necessary for learning and development. It’s an unavoidable part of life that everyone goes through, and so you should never apologize for failing, as it’s all part of your improvement process!
Expressing Your Feelings
Anyone empathetic enough will welcome your feelings and understand the reasons behind them. They’ll never shame you for feeling the way you do or expressing them the way you wish, so you should never apologize for expressing yourself, even if it’s someone who doesn’t understand.
Self Care
In our selflessness towards others, it’s easy to put their needs above ours to our own detriment. Don’t forget to take care of your own needs, especially when it’s necessary for medical or mental health reasons. Most importantly, never feel the need to apologize for putting yourself first!
Being Yourself
No one’s ever perfect, and that includes you. As long as your natural, intuitive actions don’t harm anyone physically or emotionally, you shouldn’t feel the need to apologize. You only put yourself in a box this way, conditioning yourself to do things based on what others like.
Standing Your Ground
Standing your ground helps you reduce stress and communicate better, suggests Mayo Clinic, yet many people feel the need to apologize for assertiveness. Don’t do this, as apologizing for standing your ground shows weakness in the views you hold and takes away from your self-confidence.
Following Your Dreams
It’s your life, and you choose how you want to live it. No one will have greater regrets than you if you end up in a job you hate or live an unfulfilling life. If you’re one of the few courageous enough to chase your dreams, don’t apologize to anyone for it.
Because Someone Demands It
True apologies come from the heart, and you should know deep down if you offended someone or not. Yes, we may not always be accurate in judging ourselves, but if you feel you truly haven’t wronged anyone, you don’t need to apologize just because they requested it.
Holding Onto Boundaries
When you don’t set boundaries, you open yourself up to treatments that you’d never feel comfortable with. Furthermore, allowing your boundaries to be disrespected even once will lead to this disrespect happening regularly, so you should never apologize for staying true to your limits.
Your Opinions
Making suggestions to someone shouldn’t be something you tiptoe around, especially if you aren’t enforcing it on anyone. Of course, you should be considerate with your opinions about issues that affect others, but never feel sorry for holding a harmless point of view.
Your Lack of Knowledge
No one can know everything, so your lack of knowledge of something shouldn’t prompt an apology. It’s normal to feel embarrassed, especially if you’re expected to be familiar with that information, but it’s an opportunity to learn, and you unnecessarily put yourself down by apologizing.
Grieving
Everyone reacts to grief in different ways; while some decide to stay strong and suppress their emotions, others feel better letting it all out. Never feel sorry for grieving however you deem fit, as long as you aren’t harming yourself or anyone else.
Being Honest
CBS explains that even white lies are a slippery slope to telling bigger lies, so you should never apologize for being honest, no matter how hurtful the truth is. However, use common sense, as there’s a time and a place when you should keep quiet instead of constantly commenting on the truth.
For Something Someone Else Did
You should never apologize for something someone else did. We’re all responsible for our actions, so it’s important that we face any consequences alone. Apologizing on behalf of someone else removes the burden of responsibility from them, and it could negatively affect your own image.
Following Priorities
We all see life differently and have different ideas of what matters most. So, only you know what’s most important to your mental, physical, and financial well-being. When you have a scale of preference, don’t feel sorry about following it diligently, as only you can know your priorities.
Not Giving Into External Expectations
Last but not least, you should never apologize for not giving in to external expectations. Research from the University of Chicago suggests that people who do this become less persistent after failure, giving the people who pressure them more control of their reality. Remember–you do you!
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