My goal with this post is to encourage and motivate people to be confident in their opinions. Therefore:
Stop Prefacing Statements with "I Think..."
Personal History
I used to be show shy I almost never expressed my opinion. But eventually I grew up and had the balls to chime in from time to time, especially on topics I'd heavily researched like technology, health and cryptocurrency.
But then (years ago) I got into the habit of saying "I think" before revealing uncommon knowledge because I used to want the listener to know I was aware that what I was about to say was my (though thought out) opinion but not 100% proven fact as accepted by mainstream society.
Geez. I couldn't even explain why I used these two words without becoming convoluted...
Basically I was saying "Here's my opinion and I Know it's just an opinion"
Now I realize, WHY would I need to say that? What I'm saying is obviously my opinion. So here's my 3 reasons for why we should no longer use the phrase "I think" before giving our opinion.
Reason 1: It Wastes Time
Adding these two little words plus a pause before saying anything is really redundant. Everything coming out of your mouth could be virtually prefaced as "I think". We obviously have to think something before we speak it, despite the mainstream notion of speaking before thinking, there's always at least something subconscious going on creating these words we speak.
This wasting time ties into the next reason as well...
Reason 2: They're Not Going to Care to Remember
No one cares if you reiterate that you "thought" this. Of course, as reason #1 states, DUH!
If someone is arguing with you they're not going to let up because it's your opinion only.
"Oh but the earth rotates, causing the 24 hour day and the sun to move east to west! What the hell are you talking about flat earth? - OH, just your opinion. Okay you can have that opinion, I thought you were trying to tell me people think the earth is flat as a fact of life. Carry on"
An opposing argument is there to argue with you not come up with worldly truths. It's what they believe vs what you believe. You're trying to inform them and they're either absorbing the information to meet you in the middle, rejecting the information, or providing a counter-argument. It doesn't matter if you're quoting someone else, even CNN, they will rebut that too and maybe think your quotation is even your opinion if you're not careful enough.
On a side note, make sure someone is ready and in the right mood and environment to be debating something important. If you're trying to convince someone of something, you want the best chance to do it which means the best surrounding mood and energy, im serious here. If you bring up a crazy notion under the wrong context, they will forever (or a long time) associate that atmosphere (negative energy) with what you were trying to convince them of and it becomes way harder to make your argument down the line, especially if they're not very open minded. (Expect some future post on this topic, comment if you would like to see me cover this soon ;) )
On to the final reason...the biggest of them all...
Reason 3 (Most Important): It Diminishes your Own Confidence in Your Opinion!
I realized after not too long into getting in the habit of saying I think that it lowers the passion and energy of what I'm about to say. Unfortunately it took me probably years to practice not doing it. It puts a negative connotation on what I strongly believe to be true! What sounds more confident and inspiring to you:
- 1: "The law of attraction is real and you can manifest the achievement of your own personal goals by knowing it..."
OR
- 2: "I think the law of attraction works: you can really manifest completion of your goals with it!"
Now I purposefully made #2 sound more inspiring and excited. But if #1 is a person, he certainly believes in the law of attraction. He's stating it like he means it and as an absolute fact. Person #2 could just be excited in the moment and doubting himself by prefacing his statement with "I think".
Don't doubt yourself! Be confident in what you say. People will know it's your opinion and you should be proud of it. If you change your opinion in the future you should be proud to be adaptable too. If they call you out on that just say "well I'm open minded enough to change my own opinions when never information comes along, no matter how strong I used to hold them"
Now Keep Calm and STEEM On Brothers & Sisters!