Pop quiz, hot shot.
Someone asks you a clarifying question or offers a suggestion.
Do you assume that…

1. they require more information or see a possible issue, or…
2. they’re only asking or saying so just to piss you off?

Too many folks seem to fall into the latter category, and there’s a reason – but not an excuse.

I used to have “thin skin” in middle school (who didn’t, right?) If someone was laughing when I entered the room, obviously it was at me. I outgrew this because I realized that everyone is most concerned with themselves, and that isn’t a bad thing. Even doing something for another person is essentially giving yourself the satisfaction that you made someone else’s day. It’s a wonderful feeling, the knowledge that you were able to do or think of something that they didn’t or couldn’t.

By nature, I’m a problem solver/organizer: an ADHD-fueled jack-of-all-trades with a Master’s Degree in Google Fu and a lifetime’s experience in trial-by-fire. I’m also an extroverted pessimist, among the rarest of social creatures: I observe projects, discern potential problems, and think up solutions. If the glass is half empty – and it usually is, dammit – I will figure out a way to either fill it up or use the glass for something better since it isn’t doing much good here.

Now for the phrase that repeatedly gets me into trouble: “Does anyone have any questions?”

Continue reading “A Dissection of Thin Skin: Failed Perception of Intent” →