Friday, September 26, 2008

Apologizing

At some point in our lives, we all can be rude or hurtful. I'm sure we'd all like to stay in our little bubbles and think we're the nicest thing since cheez whiz on cinnamon swirl bread with olives. That would be lying to yourself.

Here's what you do if you need to apologize.

1. Realize you need to apologize. This might actually take an hour. Sometimes when someone has told you that you've hurt their feelings: realize they may be right before you become defensive. My first instinct is to turn it on them and say "Oh yeah... well..." That's not going to get you far. Be quiet. Rephrase what the person just said to you. Tell them you need to think about it if they're standing there looking at you with their mouth open waiting for an apology.

2. Again, repeat what your victim has said. And say "Oh I didn't realize I hurt your feelings. I'm sorry."

3. That's it. Don't give yourself an excuse. Don't give them an excuse. The sorry is enough.

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