It is plain and simple: cut the crap.

Admit it. You screwed up. You made a mistake. Everyone does it. It’s part of what makes us human, after all.

But trying to get someone to admit that they were in the wrong is more painful than pulling teeth. There are so many people out there who would rather piece together an extravagant web of lies than simply state, “I was wrong.” And for what? Will averting the attention away from your own mistake and avoiding the honest truth really make you feel that much better? Is it really that horrible to recognize your own error?

Don’t be that person. Don’t be that person who always has to be right and who can never, ever concede so-called “defeat.” Being wrong does not make us weak. Being wrong makes us real. There has not ever been a single person who has existed on this Earth who was justified in donning the title of “perfect.” And I am positive that no one ever will. Everyone will have a moment when they misinterpret a situation, when they misjudge another person or when they say the wrong thing at the worst time. But those mistakes do not make us bad people. Our faults do not define us but rather, they shape us into who were are. The ability or inability to own up to your mistakes is a true demonstration of your character and your integrity.

When we admit out loud that were wrong, that we have actually made a mistake, that we are (shockingly enough) not perfect, we are taking responsibility for our own actions and for the consequences of our actions. The admittance of our mistakes makes it less likely that we will make that error again in the future and helps us define exactly what it is that went wrong.

It sounds cliché, but we can learn from any and every mistake that we make. These bumps in the road help us grow and mature as people. And even more importantly, we can help others learn from our mistakes. I deeply appreciate someone who has no fear of taking ownership of their errors. It shows me that they are self-confident and that they are secure in who they are. They know that admitting that they were wrong is not the be-all, end-all of their entire life.

I am confident in who I am and I am confident in what I stand for. There are certain beliefs that I consider to be true and “right” for me. But I also understand that not everyone agrees with everything that I believe in. I’m always going to be the type of person who will stand up for what I believe in and who will fight for causes that I am passionate about. But in that same breath, I am willing to admit when I am wrong in my actions or in what I have said. It takes a lot more courage to own up to your mistakes than it does to blame everyone else for your problems. I’m not ashamed to be wrong. I would much rather be respected by other people for being consistently honest than for being forever “right.”

Drop the excuses. Give up the act. It’s not worth it.

You are wrong. Stand tall in your wrongness and just be wrong.