I’m Done Apologizing
Do you find yourself saying “I’m sorry” all the time? You forget to text your friend back. I’m sorry. You accidentally bump into someone at the grocery store. I’m sorry. You sneeze in the middle of a meeting. That’s right—I’m sorry. If you’ve said yes to any of those statements, this blog is for you. (Also, if you deeply relate to Demi Lovato’s hit song “Sorry not Sorry” this is your kind of blog.)
I’m tired of it. I’m tired of saying sorry like it's my job. It truly feels like this never ending cycle. Wake up. Apologize. Eat. Apologize. Send an email. Apologize. Breathe. Apologize. All day. Every day. (Okay, I know this is a bit over exaggerated, but I’m not going to apologize!) Does anyone else relate to this? I’d like to think I’m not alone in this feeling.
Especially this past year, and really the past few months, I’ve caught myself saying sorry way more than normal. Or at least way more than I consider to be normal. With this thought in mind, I decided to do some research. I had heard before this idea of women apologizing more than men, but had never actually seen the data (if there even was any.) Fortunately, I did find a lot of research on this topic. Unfortunately, I read that this trend of over-apologizing stems from a lack of confidence. I’ve found that the women in my life are, hands-down, the most confident people around, so this angered me.
There are clear times in each of our lives where an apology is warranted. But, that expectation shouldn’t apply to every aspect of our lives. If you sneeze during a meeting, good for you! That’s your body getting something out that didn’t need to be there. Things happen and we can’t always take responsibility for the unplanned ways of the world.
With that being said, you might be asking yourself “So what?” So what I apologize and say sorry all the time. I’m still a confident woman with a good head on my shoulders. And yes, yes you are! If you find yourself saying I'm sorry as often as I do call yourself out on it and hold yourself accountable. Don’t apologize for apologizing. That’ll just pull you right back into the cycle you’re trying to escape from.
And most importantly, continue exuding the same amount of confidence you always have. Show the world how strong and powerful you truly are. Women now, more than ever, need to stick together. Normalize saying “no need to apologize” and normalize just skipping the apology all together. Be you and be the most authentic, confident you the world has ever seen. You got this and you don’t need to apologize to anyone.
