The first clue you get that someone is about to pass judgment is when he or she starts a sentence with, “Not to be judgmental, but…”

That’s really pretty funny isn’t it? It’s like when someone says, “Not to change the subject but…” they are pretty much guaranteed to be changing the subject. And if they start with, “Not to be bossy, but…” they are pretty much guaranteed to be telling you what to do.

Remember the scene from the movie Dumb and Dumber when Lloyd says to Harry, “Man, you are one pathetic loser. No offense!” Then Harry says, “No, none taken!”

Well, anyway, my point is that you might like to monitor yourself, and if you hear yourself saying, “Not to be offensive, but…” or “Not to be rude, but…” or “Not to be judgmental, but…” simply stop, because you are pretty much guaranteed to be going where you just admitted you didn’t want to go with the conversation.

Oh, I have one last thing to say, “Not to leave this Daily Focus short and incomplete, but…”