Monday
13Jul2009
Why Intimidation Sucks
Monday, July 13, 2009 at 12:00 AM
Before I post for today, I have this very important announcement. Starting today until August 3rd, every Monday you can get a free iced or hot mocha (7 oz) from McDonald's with McCafe's. Every Monday. I don't know what you're waiting for, I'm going to go get mine today... and for the next couple of Mondays.
There's no smooth transition from free mochas to regular blogging, but I couldn't help letting you know. I'm very excited. My trip to the Rosebud Indian Reservation is starting to become a distant memory, one of which doesn't bring about many blog posts at the moment. But I do think I have one more topic to discuss before putting the issue to rest. This concerns one of the greatest lessons I learned while on the Rez.
I'm not going to lie. I'm easily intimidated by other people. I know I should be more confident, that I should be willing to put myself out there, but I just let others get to me easily. There is one student in the youth group that I work with that I was always afraid to talk to. The funny thing was it has nothing to do with the student, but rather the parents.
I've had a difficult time with the parents and have felt the wrath of their anger multiple times. I figured that since they had such a disdain for me, that they would instill this disdain into their children as well. As a result, I never really allowed myself to talk to this student for the fear of the pre-established hate.
As the trip progressed I allowed myself to talk to this student and get to know them. Not only that, but I allowed myself to joke with them and laugh. It turns out the student really has no disdain for me at all and the only thing getting in the way of being better friends was my insecurities.
This is something many people have transcended dealing with, but I'll admit I am prone to it from time to time. Don't allow yourself to be intimidated by other people. Easier said than done, but think of all of the missed opportunities from intimidation. The best way to deal with intimidation is to confront it head on. Don't allow yourself to be intimidated and strike up a conversation. It will be awkward at first, but you never know, it might be keeping you from a beautiful friendship.
Intimidation stems from so many different things, but you've got to be comfortable with who you are. You've got to realize that you are who you are, and that nobody else can do anything about it. While it is still important to listen to others and allow yourself to learn from their feedback, you have to be comfortable with your inner most being. This is a problem so many young adults face, but I think it gets easier as we get older. We finally "find" ourselves and have a better grip on who we are.
Until then, the process can be awkward, but it's part of growing. Don't let intimidation get the better of you. Besides, you probably have no reason to be insecure anyway.
There's no smooth transition from free mochas to regular blogging, but I couldn't help letting you know. I'm very excited. My trip to the Rosebud Indian Reservation is starting to become a distant memory, one of which doesn't bring about many blog posts at the moment. But I do think I have one more topic to discuss before putting the issue to rest. This concerns one of the greatest lessons I learned while on the Rez.
I'm not going to lie. I'm easily intimidated by other people. I know I should be more confident, that I should be willing to put myself out there, but I just let others get to me easily. There is one student in the youth group that I work with that I was always afraid to talk to. The funny thing was it has nothing to do with the student, but rather the parents.
I've had a difficult time with the parents and have felt the wrath of their anger multiple times. I figured that since they had such a disdain for me, that they would instill this disdain into their children as well. As a result, I never really allowed myself to talk to this student for the fear of the pre-established hate.
As the trip progressed I allowed myself to talk to this student and get to know them. Not only that, but I allowed myself to joke with them and laugh. It turns out the student really has no disdain for me at all and the only thing getting in the way of being better friends was my insecurities.
This is something many people have transcended dealing with, but I'll admit I am prone to it from time to time. Don't allow yourself to be intimidated by other people. Easier said than done, but think of all of the missed opportunities from intimidation. The best way to deal with intimidation is to confront it head on. Don't allow yourself to be intimidated and strike up a conversation. It will be awkward at first, but you never know, it might be keeping you from a beautiful friendship.
Intimidation stems from so many different things, but you've got to be comfortable with who you are. You've got to realize that you are who you are, and that nobody else can do anything about it. While it is still important to listen to others and allow yourself to learn from their feedback, you have to be comfortable with your inner most being. This is a problem so many young adults face, but I think it gets easier as we get older. We finally "find" ourselves and have a better grip on who we are.
Until then, the process can be awkward, but it's part of growing. Don't let intimidation get the better of you. Besides, you probably have no reason to be insecure anyway.
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