How many times have you regretted saying something to someone in your daily life? Learn what you should never tell others and why you should keep some things to yourself.
Have you ever shared a secret that you should not have? (possibly yes?:))
Or you revealed something embarrassing about yourself to someone else, or you criticized someone without thinking?
If your answer is a bold yes or even a subtle yes, then you are not alone!
There a lot of people who struggle with knowing what to say and what not to say in different situations.
Sharing information can be a good thing. Indeed it can help you build trust, rapport and intimacy with others. It can also help you express your feelings, opinions and needs.
However, sharing too much information can sometimes be harmful for your personal and professional life. Not just can it make you vulnerable in front of others but sometimes it can also damage your reputation or hurt someone else’s feelings.
So how do you know what you should never tell others?
Based on my experiences and interactions with people in my workplace and otherwise, here are seven things I’m listing on that you should keep to yourself — and why.
#1: Your passwords and PINs.
This may seem obvious, but many people still make the mistake of sharing their passwords and PINs with others, either online or offline.
Some do not even realise that someone might be watching their passwords or pin while swiping their phones or typing in the numbers. Certainly, this can put your security and privacy at risk.
Hackers, scammers or even your friends, kids or adults in your family can access your accounts. They can unnecessarily steal your identity or someone can misuse your information.
Never tell anyone your passwords and PINs, even if they are supposedly your trusted source. Change them regularly and use different ones for different accounts.
#2: Your personal problems.
This one is indeed difficult but the core reality is that everyone has problems in their life but not everyone needs to know about them.
Yes, it does give a feeling of a relief of a rock burden in your heart when you vent out your personal problems with someone else. But sometimes it can also make you look weak, needy or incompetent, and this comes at you at a time when you least expect it.
Unless someone is really close to you and can offer you support and advise in your difficult situation, try to refrain from telling others about your personal problems.
Avoid complaining or venting too much as well as this can annoy or alienate others without you realising it.
#3: Your secrets and confidences.
While we are choosy on who we want to share our secrets with, others do confide a lot of secrets with us. And if someone tells you something in confidence, make sure to respect their trust and keep it to yourself.
Haven’t we all seen people in our life leaking somebody else’s secrets just for a fun gossip?
Indeed a bad behaviour but some just cannot stop! Doing so can betray others trust on you, damage your relationship with them or even cause harm to them or others without your notice.
Likewise, be careful about telling your own secrets to others too as they may not keep them as well as you do. If you really need to, then only tell your secrets to people who are trustworthy in your circle.
#4: Your income and expenses.
Money is a sensitive topic which is also mostly known to cause envy, resentment or even judgment among other people (Haven’t we seen this enough in movies? :)).
Never tell others how much you earn or spend. This can make them feel inferior or superior to you or you might likely be questioned of your choices or lifestyle.
Likewise, avoid asking others about their income or expenses too as this can be rude or intrusive to some.
Discuss money matters only with the people who are directly involved in them for example your partner, accountant or a financial advisor.
#5: Your goals and plans.
This one is tricky!
Having goals and plans is a good thing but announcing them to everyone sometimes is not.
Never tell others about your goals and plans. This can sometimes reduce your motivation and most importantly invite criticism or doubt from others when you do not need it, or even expose you to competition without your attention.
Avoid boasting or bragging about your achievements or ambitions too as this can make you look arrogant or insecure.
If you do want to share you life plans, then only share with people who can help you achieve them for example, your mentor, coach or your partner.
#6: Your medical history and conditions.
Health is your private matter that should not be disclosed to everyone.
If you are suffering from any medical condition small or big, its best to not just be too vocal about it as this can sometimes make others uncomfortable or worried, or most importantly affect their perception of you.
Likewise, avoid asking others about their health issues too, they may not appreciate it and may consider it as insensitive.
You should only talk about your health with people who need to know about it such as your doctor, or a caregiver.
#7: Your opinions on sensitive topics.
“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.”
— Oscar Wilde
Everyone has opinions on various topics. Starting from politics to a neighborhood watch community affairs, everyone has a right for opinions but not everyone agrees with them.
Never tell others about your opinions on sensitive topics such as politics, religion, or morality. If they do not agree with it, it can either offend them or lead into an unwanted argument.
And during an argument or a discussion, many people love to impose their views on others or try to change their minds. This can only get disrespectful over time as you can imagine.
Express your opinions on sensitive topics with people who you know share similar views with yourself or are open to listening to your point of view.
In summary, there are many things that you can avoid sharing with others for your good but these are most commonly seen with people around us in our daily lives — in our community or in our workplace.
What do you think? Do you have any other things that you never tell others?
Drop in your thoughts below, it might be of use to someone in our readers community :)
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