THIS BEARS REPEATING... AGAIN

Dig ME! 

Hard to live something like this down. You can, perhaps try to keep a low profile, endeavoring to not draw attention to yourself. Perhaps, you may go as far as to downplaying anything that may draw attention to you. Say that one of your pastels passes muster, gets framed and many are moved to say, this is really good. Two words are all that are necessary: Thank you. Not necessary to expound on the technique used, the time spent in fine-tuning the piece in order to get it ready for framing. That is keeping it low-key.

What if, because of your personality, you are known for being effusive, having a comment on anything and everything that you see, hear or are reminded of once a topic is introduced. Is it necessary to say, this reminds me of when... No, pare it down to the core--the meat and potatoes. Do not introduce new topics, share instances of where the topic coincides with something that has recently happened, and might add to the conversation. Avoid this. If you are at times, moved to tears, excuse yourself--if you must cry, do it privately. If your feelings are hurt because something has been said that is making light of something that you do, something that you are known for doing that annoys some, strive to not let it bother you. Hurt feelings have never done anybody in. You will survive.

If you are in the room when a topic is being discussed, suppress your inclination to weigh in. Do everything in your power to blend; become wallpaper, if you will. Unless a question is directed to you, say nothing. When answering a question, keep it pithy. Endeavor to be pleasant, regardless of what is happening around you. If a topic that genuinely interests you comes up, stifle yourself and listen to what is being said. You may learn something new, and while you will later say to yourself, why I was just about to say that myself, congratulate yourself on having had the presence of mind to say nothing. Life is not a game of Jeopardy. There are no points earned in enthusiastically giving the answer, even if you know it. This type of behavior, which is inherent and part of our personality is what had been causing you to volunteer opinions, comments and in general, expounding on any topic you think may add to what is being said. Nobody wants to listen to someone who always has an opinion or anecdote that relates to what has just been said. You have been doing this all your life, and you will not like how you feel when after the fact, you reflect over what you've contributed. There is always someone around who can also relate, and their comments may not only enlighten you, but you will come away with something you have not heard before. The key is to learn to listen, enjoy what is being said, and your reward is that much later, you will feel at peace with yourself because you have begun to learn to listen and learn.

If you are one who has always had something to say about everything, you are most likely not someone who folks await with bated breath to hear your pearls of wisdom. You have contributed enough, and said more than most say in half of your lifetime. It is time to listen. Patience goes hand in hand with listening. If you are anticipating what you will say when someone is talking, cannot wait for them to finish their sentence and find yourself about to interrupt in order to finish what they are about to say, you are doing it wrong. Life is not about having the answers before the person who is telling their story is able to get to the punchline. Nobody likes to be interrupted. If you have never been interrupted, chances are, you are the one who is constantly thinking of what you will say, instead of patiently waiting to hear what others have to say about the topic at hand. It is not necessary for everyone to know that you knew what they were about to say. In fact, that is an obnoxious habit, which must be eliminated immediately. If you find that many love you, but you are not easy to like, it may be that you are constantly striving to be the center of attention. It may have been cute when you were a five-year old, but it is not at all cute when you are an adult. Count yourself lucky if someone holds up a mirror, and you cringe because you have been guilty of most, if not all of the above. It is time for you to learn the virtue of patience and learn to listen. You must stop wanting everyone/anyone to Dig ME!