How I did it: I started by keeping track of each time I said "sorry" each day-- to whom? under what circumstances? in what manner? After I became more aware of how often I unnecessarily apologized, I began replacing the word sorry with other more self-assured words and phrases. I tried to make a point of saying "excuse me" when someone accidentally bumped into me,  "pardon?" when I didn't hear what someone said, "oh, my bad" for minor slip-ups in casual settings, and "woopsy daisy!" when I made a silly mistake that didn't really affect anyone. Gradually, I began minimizing the times I said "sorry" in everyday conversation and reserved the word only for heartfelt apologies and for upset customers at work. In doing so, I also became more self-aware of my apologetic mannerisms and became more self-assured and confident. 

May 21, 2009, 10:46PM PDT | 1 comment | 12 cheers