NSR - Word of the Half-Year?

At the beginning of the year, Ali Edwards chose her word of the year and many of us played along. At that time, I chose FOCUS. I have pretty much fallen off the wagon on that one (my office space could tell you that right away!) BUT in its place, I instead have been working on the word PAUSE.

Now I am not one to self-congratulate but I have done really well in making this not only a notion but a lifestyle change. Particularly since my teens (given my rather challenging relationship with my parents), I swore I would never swallow my anger as I felt I had been forced to do. Instead, I was convinced that I would share my immediate response no matter what the situation. In many ways, this served me well since I competed hard and achieved much at work and in school (particularly since I was in male-dominated environments). However, in my personal life, it was a real hindrance.

You see, your initial reaction isn't always the right one. And, even if it is, maybe you don't always have to share it. And so, when something ticks me off, irks me, gets in my craw (you get the point), rather than reacting, I PAUSE. If I feel it is still bugging me later (or I realize that it really wasn't that important to get upset about), I will confront the issue, deliberately and rationally.

Lately, I have a few people in my life who never PAUSE. They always share their thoughts (solicited or not), critique, observe, etc. and it is driving me crazy. It seems to be particularly a male thing (and no Brad, I am not bitching about you). Be it at work or in my day-to-day interactions, it is all I can do to avoid rolling my eyes and not saying "STFU!". So while I may be doing my best to PAUSE, reacting to those non-PAUSED is becoming my new challenge!