Read this advice carefully, or else I will never, ever, answer your questions again! How did the sentence above make you feel? Nobody likes threats. I have 2 rules about ultimatums: - Don't say them out loud;
- If you break rule #1, you had better mean it.
Keep Them to Yourself There is nothing wrong with ultimatums, as long as you don't tell the other person that you have made one. In other words, you can give yourself a deadline: "If things do not change by summer, I am out of here." It's Counter-Productive To Tell Someone To Change I have found, however, that it is counter-productive to say to the other person, "If you don't change by summer, I am leaving you." If You NEED an Ultimatum, Focus on Your Feelings The farthest I would go is to tell the other person how I feel, "I am not comfortable with this. If things did not change by summer, I am not sure that I would stay in this relationship any longer." You Had Better Mean It But, under NO circumstances, should you even hint at an ultimatum unless you are absolutely, 100% sure, without a doubt, willing to follow through. If you make a threat, and then do not follow through, the other person will never respect you, or the relationship, again. Mr. Sensitive Click here to see the full question & other panelists' responses. What do you think of Mr. Sensitive's Answer? |