When I graduated from college, I was 23. I have always been one of the smartest, quickest, and have (had?) a near-photographic memory. Oh, and I'm extremely arrogant. And, until my wife got her hands on me, my attitude was this:

The way I'm doing it, whatever it might be, right now is the best I am aware of. As I happen to be very smart, it's likely that it's one of the best ways out there. I am willing to be shown a better way, but you'll have to convince me.

I think that most of us, at one time or another, have subscribed to that attitude to some degree. Some, like me, subscribed to it completely.

And, frankly, I still subscribe to it. But, the way I take into account different points of view has changed. Instead of immediately responding, I wait. If there is something to be said, it can be said just as well tomorrow as today. Most of the time, my response doesn't need to be made, or it can be improved.

This attitude adjustmenttook almost 6 years to come about, with a ton of hard knocks. I've been fired twice, had to work away from my wife and kids for a year, and been generally miserable ... all due to my attitude - my lack of humility. This isn't to say I'm anything approximating humble right now, and I may never be. But, I am much closer to doing things a better way than I could have ever come up with on my own.

Now, what does this have to do with the topic at hand? Wassercrats - I feel you. I know where you're coming from, cause I've been there. I knew it all, and I knew that I knew it all. I had an answer for everything and everyone. Heck, I answered for them, too!

I'm not advocating that you change one bit. In fact, if you did change into a xerox-monk, we would be a poorer community for it. I cannot imagine that any monk would ever say we would be better off without merlyn or Abigail-II, yet they are more caustic and blunt than you or I could ever hope to be. They've had 20 years more than us to perfect their style.

All I am asking is this - before you hit the Create button, let your response sit for an hour. That's all. Just one hour. If, when you read it again, you still think it's worth saying, then say it. Otherwise, change it or hit the back button.

Why? Your reputation matters. You, like me, may not personally care about reputation as a first-class object. However, your reputation is what allows you to do what you want to do. Without it, you are powerless, whether you like it or not. This is simply the way the world works. The sun rises in the east, our computers are binary, and power is based completely on reputation. Accept it, fight it ... I don't care. But, you cannot deny it.