How many times a day do you think you respond to a question with “maybe”? What did you mean when you said it? Where you really thinking yes or no?
It really varies for me. However, I start with a maybe rather than my initial feeling and true answer. Why do we do this?
I think I tend to do this in an effort to get someone else to make a decision, so I don’t have to. I want to put the ball in their court so they cannot judge me for making the wrong decision. The problem is, I am just causing confusion and miscommunication about my intentions and thoughts.
The fear of judgement is irrational. It is irrational because the person would not be asking our opinion if they wanted us to respond with a “maybe”. They would simply make the decision without us.
Many arguments arise due to this fear of what the other person will think of our actual opinions. So, rather than embracing that fear and facing it head on, we deflect and create gray areas in our communication. We could eliminate so much conflict if we just said what we really mean.
So, I encourage you to say what you mean. You will find that the worst thing that will happen is the other person will disagree with you. At least there will be no confusion on where you stand. You deserve to be heard, so speak your mind unapologetically.