Overbearing

OVERBEARING--the hated word from my childhood. It's what my mother called me on a regular basis--usually when I asked about a thing too many times, when I did an irritating thing too many times, when I was obnoxious too many times. And apparently I was overbearing a lot.

I think I am still overbearing sometimes. But now as an adult I have learned to observe people's reactions very carefully. If I see someone's eyes glazing over or their expressions changing, or I get a clue that they are not appreciating or agreeing or liking what I'm saying, I will often modify my behavior or message. That's partly the pleaser coming out in me, and it's partly my spiritual gift of mercy, and it's partly survival instinct. That's doesn't mean I change the truth of my message, but I may change how I'm presenting it.

The trouble is that sometimes I'm so tactful, I don't get my message across. This is pretty irritating to me when it happens. But at least I'm not as overbearing as I once was. I think.