I'm sorry.
Those two words can be very difficult to say to someone. There can be many different reasons for this; maybe you don't think you have to be sorry, maybe you think you're right and their wrong. Whatever the reason is, it can make it very hard to get those two words out of your mouth.
I recently attended church and the pastor was talking about this very subject. He was talking to the whole room, but it felt like he was talking right to me.
He talked about how when you argue with someone and then apologize and talk about it later, you secretly are constantly wanting to continue arguing for your point.
Nobody wants to be wrong.
But the truth is, we all are sometimes. And we have to be willing to admit that to ourselves and to others.
The pastor went on to describe the right way to apologize to someone.
First, you say exactly what you are sorry for. You take full responsibility for it and admit that you were wrong.
No excuses.
When apologizing for something, we tend to want to give a reason why we did what we did or said what we said. We want to find something else to put the blame on.
But we can't. It was our mistake, and as hard as it may be, we can not make excuses.
While the pastor talked about these things, my mind immediately went to a couple different people in my life. I thought about things that I have done and mistakes that I have made.
As soon as I left the church, the first thing that I did was contact a certain person and apologize to them for something that I had recently said.
No, it was not easy. Every bone in my body wanted to make excuses and bring other people into it. But I didn't. I took full responsibility for what I had done.
And, as selfish as this may sound, it felt really great. We talked it out, and my friend forgave me.
The words 'im sorry' can be very tough to say. Especially when you feel like you are owed an apology as well. This is when it gets messy, as you can end up being in a never-ending battle to get the last word.
But, think about that for a second. When will it ever end?
You owe someone an apology but they owe you one as well. Well, you are only in charge of one person in this situation, and that person is yourself.
As frustrating as it may be, you have to remember that.
You can not fix others. As much as you may want to, you can't. You can only work on yourself and make sure that you are being the best person that you can be to others.
You may deserve an apology in return, but you can't control that. What you can control is whether or not you are doing your part. You can make sure that you are apologizing for your mistakes or wrongdoings.
It may be hard, but it is worth it.
Owning up to things and apologizing for them will help you to be a better person, which is something that we all want to be.
The words "I'm sorry" will result in mutual respect between yourself and others, it will help you to see other people's perspectives, and it will help you to be an all around better and happier person.
