What if we could all just step out into the world as ourselves? Not what people want us to be, but just who we are. It sounds simple, but it’s so very hard at times. That fake smile just creeps in, and mine comes with a weird head nod and an eye squint.
It’s like we feel we can’t say what we really want to. It’s not about being rude or disrespectful, but often I find myself trapped in new situations with people I don’t know well, like at a social gathering, where it’s just pleasantries being exchanged.
As an Australian, culturally we don’t do pleasantries; we do real talk. So, I feel like the conversation has hit a dead end, and, well, I have somewhere else to be. But I can’t initially say it directly. Instead, I do this weird head nod and also start slowly moving away. It is ridiculous. Until I finally say, “Alright, I have to go,” and then in my head, I hear the villain music. Even though I know the other party was also just being polite, and well, I did the right thing. Ha!
I think this comes from the ingrained need to say sorry and avoid conflict. Personally, I’d rather someone told me to shove it where the sun doesn’t shine than be polite to my face but feel entirely different once they don’t have to people-please anymore.
How do you manage to stay true to yourself when you feel pressured to be polite at the expense of your own time, which is valuable? Let’s share our experiences and figure out how to navigate this better together.
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What if we could all just step out into the world as ourselves? Not what people want us to be, but just who we are. It sounds simple, but it’s so very hard at times. That fake smile just creeps in, and mine comes with a weird head nod and an eye squint.
It’s like we feel we can’t say what we really want to. It’s not about being rude or disrespectful, but often I find myself trapped in new situations with people I don’t know well, like at a social gathering, where it’s just pleasantries being exchanged.
As an Australian, culturally we don’t do pleasantries; we do real talk. So, I feel like the conversation has hit a dead end, and, well, I have somewhere else to be. But I can’t initially say it directly. Instead, I do this weird head nod and also start slowly moving away. It is ridiculous. Until I finally say, “Alright, I have to go,” and then in my head, I hear the villain music. Even though I know the other party was also just being polite, and well, I did the right thing. Ha!
I think this comes from the ingrained need to say sorry and avoid conflict. Personally, I’d rather someone told me to shove it where the sun doesn’t shine than be polite to my face but feel entirely different once they don’t have to people-please anymore.
How do you manage to stay true to yourself when you feel pressured to be polite at the expense of your own time, which is valuable? Let’s share our experiences and figure out how to navigate this better together.