How To Admit Mistakes as a Human Being

We are human, and we ALL make mistakes. The mistakes that we make are not usually intentional, whether it be saying something hurtful, breaking an item, or not completing a task. However, not everyone knows how to admit to making a mistake or how to correct it. This article will provide you with ideas as to how to make amends once a mistake has been made.

First ... You'll Need:
•A desire to maintain positive relationships with individuals.

Step 1. Admit that you made a mistake as soon as you discover it. Depending on how long it took you to realize your error, delaying it longer will only make you feel worse, or may drive you toward making the wrong decision to try and cover it up.

Step 2. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY! Do not play the "blame game". Most people are intelligent enough to realize that this is just a poor attempt to cover yourself and often puts you in a negative light by "passing the buck" onto someone else. Perhaps you delegated a task to another person and it was never completed. But is it REALLY the entire fault of the person you delegated the task to or was it partially your fault for not following up? Keep this in mind before placing the blame on someone else.

Step 3. Apologize and ask for forgiveness. Perhaps you misplaced a project and it was never completed because you found it under a pile on your desk weeks later. Maybe you broke your Mother's favorite vase, or even forgot a friend or relatives birthday. Just an apology can some times be viewed as insincere or a "quick fix", but by apologizing AND asking to be forgiven gives the person you've wronged an opportunity to forgive you, not just you providing forgiveness from yourself.

Step 4. Offer some type of restitution (noun-reparation made by giving an equivalent or compensation for loss, damage, or injury caused; indemnification - from Dictionary.com). Offer to immediately complete the late task and not charge over-time should you need to stay past normal work hours, pay for the vase or take your friend/relative out for lunch or dinner. By offering these types of resolutions, it may soften the blow to the person we've disappointed.

Step 5. Do better next time. It is important to not repeat your mistake. Understand what happened and try to rectify the situation to where it doesn't happen again. People's faith in us can dwindle quickly and in some cases, can hurt relationships and trust in the future (passed over for job promotion, parents not allowing kids to stay home alone, etc).

Step 6. Learn from your mistakes. In the case of a job or client task, write a "To-Do" list with the deadline date before leaving the meeting. As for forgetting a birthday or breaking a vase, put the birthday on an electronic calendar for next year or recognize what you were doing (that mom probably told you not to) that caused the damage to the vase and do not repeat.