Rachel Hollis is the best-selling author of the books Girl, Wash Your Face and Girl, Stop Apologizing. Two books designed to shake up mediocrity and shrinking down to fit in. Hollis encourages readers to let go of the excuses and adopt behaviors that help them be who they were meant to be.
Making decisions is one of the behaviors that confident women must embrace – unapologetically!
One of the default behaviors women resort to when challenged is to apologize for their decisions. Negative feedback causes women to shrink and second-guess their decisions and make excuses for them. Stop doing that!
Here are reasons why you should stop apologizing for your decisions and stand up for what you believe in.
Reason #1. Apologizing for your decisions makes you look weak: You may think apologizing is synonymous with being open minded to change or teamwork. That your willingness to change your decision shows you aren’t arrogant. That’s not what’s happening here. Your apology sends the message that you aren’t invested in your decision. Stop apologizing and people will learn to respect and admire your strength.
Reason #2. Apologizing for your decisions is making you dumb: Your gut, your wise counsel, your research all indicate that your decisions are sound. Changing your mind when your choices are challenged dims your wit. If you know you’ve done your homework and the decision you made was the right one for you at this moment in time, don’t apologize for it. Stand your ground and support yourself.
Reason #3. Apologizing for your decisions is poor leadership: No matter who you are, you lead someone. You are influencing someone who is looking to you as a role model. Every time you apologize for your decisions, you send a message to those under you that you can’t be trusted. When you make a decision, stick to it. Unless you are blatantly wrong and someone can show you as much, hold to your decisions and don’t apologize!
Making sound decisions may still require you to defend them now and then. There’s nothing wrong with having to stand up for your choices. Ultimately some people may not support your decisions and that’s just the way it is. Stop apologizing for your choices and learn to live with the fact that some decisions are worth standing up for.
