It is not always necessary to plead your case when you know that you�ve been misjudged or insulted. You�ll waste your breath trying to convince those whiny noise-makers that you have a respectable point of view. Wasted breath, like wasted time is something you can not afford.

And, unfortunately, there are some folks out there who will knock you just for the sake of it. Or perhaps (Freud), because of their own insecurities.

It is, however, necessary to remain strong in who you are when faced with adversity. When you�re heated, body language says a whole lot more to your adversary than you may be able to verbalize. Keeping a calm graceful demeanor shows confidence and maturity. A straight face can shoot them down harder than a raised voice or the monkey-like flapping that some of us do when we�re mad.

I�ve gotten into so much trouble in the workplace (in the past, of course). I was always the employee with ideas who inevitably called a meeting or two with the managers to discuss my plans. At first my ideas were always met with open arms. Until my employers would realize that I was serious, and decide I was dangerous. Seriously, I�m like a hundred pound girl with a soft voice.

Corporate managers (from my experience) don�t like employees who can take their jobs away from them. So, they�d call me in for a meeting. I�d get to leave my desk for a bit. Then they�d proceed to pick apart my performance and criticize my work ethic. But, when asked for a rebuttal I never defended myself. And, this pissed them off royally.

Keeping your cool can cause complainer backlash — where the person who is insulting you then gets insulted because you don�t want to play games and call names.

Standing up for yourself means walking with the attitude that you believe in what you do. It means keeping confidence in the face of conflict. You may need to verbally argue with someone — but, I recommend choosing to argue with people who can hear you. People on your level. Those who will blatantly disrespect you are not on your level.

If you truly believe in yourself you will rarely feel the need to argue with others.