🌿Wednesday Wisdom: The "Sorry, Not Sorry," Challenge

August 14, 2024

Last night I played pickleball with three of my besties. While we’re all pretty new to the game we love any chance we can get on the court because Lord knows we all need the practice!

As we were hitting back and forth, laughing, and trying to figure out if we were keeping score properly, I noticed that throughout our games the four of us kept apologizing. I mean like obsessively apologizing!

“Oh, so sorry, my fault!”

“Sorry, my backhand really stinks!”

“That one was mine, so sorry!”

What in the world was it with all the over-apologizing?!

But then it dawned on me, that’s what we do. Or at least that’s what I’ve been doing for most of my adult life – and I’m not even sure why. It’s almost like a bad habit that I can’t kick.

Research has shown that women tend to apologize more frequently than men, often for things that do not warrant an apology.

And after last night’s pickleball I realized the over-apologizing was just undermining our confidence and creating self-doubt – even in our games.

Well, no more of that.

Today I share with you my mission to encourage women to stop over-apologizing. Let’s call it the One Day "Sorry, Not Sorry," Challenge.

If you’re with me on this one, and ready to eliminate this unnecessary habit in your life, then I invite you to join me in this challenge.

Pick one day before the end of the weekend and tell yourself for that entire day you’ll stop saying sorry unnecessarily. Literally eliminate the word ‘sorry’ from your vocabulary for the whole day.

(TIP: if you feel the need to respond to something take a pause, then choose a more meaningful, and maybe less passive, word.)

I’m hoping this challenge will make us realize the impact of our apologies and strive to only apologize when truly necessary. I hope it allows us to recognize our worth, assert ourselves more confidently, and become more effective communicators.

Ok, got it? You ready? Let’s do this! 👍

Happy Wednesday! 🌿

Warm Regards,

Lisa W. Burns

PS: Shoot me an email and let me know how you did before next Wednesday. I’m rooting for the both of us! 😊

. . . "Wednesday Wisdom" was created with the goal of providing women-focused content to inspire you to grow. I welcome feedback to tailor it to suit your needs. For more info on myself and Her Path, LLC. please visit www.herpathbegins.com. Thanks for being on this journey with me!