Disclaimer: People here would mean mostly women.
So, there is a word that has been kinda monopolized by women, no it’s not makeup, nor is it chores!
It’s the humble ‘Sorry’.
The origins of the word can be traced back to the 1800s, modeled after the Old English ‘sarig’ which means being sorrowful or distressed. But in the old era, sorry was used for solemn conversations with God, but just like everything else, the word started to be abused and lost its godly roots.
The word didn’t have any gendered meaning then, but soon just like other innocent terms like ‘housewives’ and ‘fairer sex’, we were hoodwinked into taking ‘sorry’ under our wings.
Just like other terms, we use it often, but we don’t really mean it.
We go, “I am really sorry for interjecting….” , whenever we have to say something in meetings or ‘I am sorry for being rude’ when we are nothing but assertive.
We say sorry when we are not, because the society wants us to fall in line and be meek.
Be a good girl, a well-behaved girl and eager to prove our worth we put on the mask of that nice, demure girl who obeys and grow up with it to embody it absolutely.
What I would like you to do is have a ‘Sorry’ jar in place of a ‘Swear jar’ and keep a monthly tab for all the sorrys you use each day. Anything beyond 5 is excessive.
What can you say instead of a ‘sorry’ you ask?
Just say what you intend to in the way it sounded in your head, start saying it repeatedly in front of the mirror if it’s difficult in the beginning.
Soon, you will be acing it in the boardroom, or home, or basically anywhere.
Just one exception: Before you drop ‘Sorry’ completely off your dictionary, say it to yourself.
Fingers in symphony 