There are some things that you might not think you need to state, like, “Caution, fire is hot!” or “Slippery when wet,” but there’s a reason those things are in place: because someone will try. It’s necessary language for those that aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed, as well as for those who are.
Until the last few months if you asked me if I was a great communicator I would answer, “Of course!” Now I’m not so sure. I will say that I have clear expectations in my head that I may not always say or document. Those are two different things.
Let me share something: I sometimes make the mistake that others care about things as much as I do.
Guess what?
Sometimes people don’t.
How do I mitigate that?
By being as expressive as I can and by setting internal goals for myself and what I want to achieve from what I have stated.
That means staying on top of things.
That’s not always easy, my friends.
I recently read The Essential Art of Self-Care by Cheryl Richardson, and it opened my eyes to a lot of things that I can do to make things easier on myself. One of those is to be as expressive as I can and to let folks know what I need. Gone are the days when I hold things in and let things go. Nope. I’m not talking about complaining either. I’m talking about constructive conversation that will lead to things getting done.
I certainly thought I was already good at this (just ask G) but I’m learning there’s some development for me in that area. Unless you tell people what you will accept and what you won’t, they’ll keep doing things as you allow them to do. I think women (maybe men, too, but I’m not a man so I can’t speak to how they feel) have a tendency to accept things and keep moving, but as soon as a woman starts speaking up for herself, she gets branded as aggressive and bitchy. That’s not fair. If I’m clear about my needs, I’m a woman who knows what she wants. Plain and simple.
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