At what age were you most comfortable

[karmgirl]

with yourself, expressing your opinions, standing up for yourself, being confident etc?

[scotgal]

Apologies I didn't mean it in a nasty way - just that why worry, you're a long time dead. I took things far too seriously in a previous life and now I don't care too much. ......oh that's not true hun but you know what I mean

[karmgirl]

Its ok scotgal, I know you didn't mean it in a bad way, just wasn't sure what it meant exactly.

Thanks roosi, my boss referred to me as 'she' so then my colleague said 'she's got a name' and my boss said 'her, the cats mother' so it was used in that context, so thats not rude I gather then thats ok

xx

[andy-hughes]

I have always had a lot of confidence, I am very articulate, and I think very quickly.

TThat said, that facility was a bit like having a garden hose with too much pressure - i could quirt my verbosity this way and that, but had very little control over it.

I have found with each year that passes, my comfort at who and what i am grows, and with it an inbuilt self-confidence which I know radiates from me, and allows me to control almost all social interaction.

With age comes the wisdom to know that being able to control a conversation does not mean it is always polite, appropriate, or even desireable so to do, and that is a vitally important difference in me at fifty-three, compared with me at seventeen.

[scotgal]

Oh andy you're soooooooooooo up yerselllllllll!

[roosi]

Yeah, sounds like she was sticking up for you Karmgirl as your boss had overstepped the mark making that comment - try not to be so easily upset! Too sensitive, just like me!!! ;-)

R
xx

[NiceCupOfTea]

For me it's never been an age thing, but a situation thing.

Feeling I've got people round who I know are aware of the points being discussed helps, even if they disagree with me, because I don't then feel like I have to go into superfluous background stuff and distract myself.

With experience I get to look back on stuff I've done and use it to back me up when I'm trying to bring home a point, so I suppose that means I'll be ancient before I actually get quite good at debating.

I always found that I leaned, as a child, towards adults who wouldn�t dismiss my points of view on sight as it were. Sounds obvious I suppose. Luckily, I was surrounded by them and I think that�s why I�m not wary of putting my view across. I�m not scared that I�ll be immediately rejected if I have a differing view. I suppose if I�d been surrounded by different people, I�d never open my mouth now (not even my virtual one).

[Ice.Maiden]

At a very young age karmgirl. We were taught to have confidence, and to offer our opinions at home - then school.
I have to go to bed now anyway - so goodnight to you all on here. x

[terambulan]

I had far more to say myself 20y ago and was confident I was right. I now see I wasn't. I also learned that talking to much and controlling a conversation meant I never heard nor learned anothers opinion or knew much of them.

I now prefer to 'zip it' and listen to others.....'cause there's always gonna be a laugh between friends, that's the fruit of life.

[David H]

Although life has not improved with age my confidence does, so the answer is whatever age I am now. You learn a little more about how to handle life and people all the time.