I’m thinking most of you would probably say that you would rather be right. No one really wants to be wrong, but we can usually let it go if we’re not. Though there are some people that can’t let go of it, and In fact, some people feel they have to be right all the time and will do whatever they need to prove it!
I want to start with a brief look at WHY someone may feel the need to always be right, so you can have a better understanding of it. In my next post I will discuss letting go of being right for the benefit of yourself and your relationship(s).
The person who feels the need to always be right is someone who most likely is not feeling good about themselves, may have low self-confidence and low self-esteem. If they are wrong it makes them feel bad about themselves, inferior, or even flawed. If incorrect, they may feel at the bottom and being right makes them feel that they are in some ways superior to others. Being right makes them feel important.
For this person, they most likely have a difficult time holding a conversation. If you are fixated only on your opinion and being correct, you probably are not hearing the other person and your thinking is probably pretty one dimensional. It can also be compared to a bully in the sense that sometimes proving you are right can be a way of criticizing or putting others down, you feel like you won by being right and this in turn empowers you.
My thought:
It is important to understand yourself and your flaws (we all have them) so you can improve your life and your relationships with others. Letting this go is going to be some work, but is not impossible. However, the work STARTS with YOU first, learning how to make yourself feel good without having to be correct, prove something or put others down.