I'm Sorry

"I'm sorry." Two simple words, are two the hardest words to say together. Right or wrong, admitting faut is difficult to do. How else do you explain the thousands of people who answer "not guilty" every day, when they know full well that they did it. How else do you explain the high divorce rate in America? How else do you explain the break up of Shaq and Kobe? Saying sorry is tough. The difficulty of the act is ratcheted up when you truly, honestly, sincerely and whole-heartedly believe that you're innocent. I'm not talking about "O.J. innocent." I'm talking about "I wasn't even in the country when the murder occured innocent." I think most of us would much rather sleep on the couch, endure the piercing stares from a siginficant other or walk around ignoring co-workers and family than to admit fault where, in our view, there is none. And understandably so.

While it's easy to focus the miniscule number of words in the phrase as a reason to give in, you have to focus on the meaning for the reason why people are so reluctant to do it. It hurts. The pain associated with apologizing is somewhere between tetnis shot and rectal examination (with no lube). It means admitting you messed up, that you made a mistake, that contrary to popular belief (including your own) that you aren't perfect. And for many of us, it's hard admitting that there are chinks in the armor or that we're not really from the planet Krypton.

Because if you focus on the positive, you realize that there is so much more to be gained by saying "I'm sorry." Respect, credibility, respectability, friendship, productivity are just a few of the things one may garner by saying "I'm sorry." If any of these things are even remotely important to you or your goals than it is certainly worth swallowing that huge egg called your PRIDE and sucking it up. Being able to apologize, regardless of who's at fault is a sign of leadership, humility, character and responsibility. While it may be tough, hard, arduous, difficult and feel like you're getting a wisdom tooth removed with not anesthesia, it may well be worth the excruciating pain to keep the peace.