Day 26 - Be quick to apologize.

When I read this deed I thought to myself, what am I going to apologize for or to whom? I didn't really think on a normal basis things happened that you found the need to apologize for. But I went forward with my day thinking about ideas on how I could complete my deed.

The more the day went on, the more I noticed myself apologizing; for not responding to an e-mail rapid enough, to cutting the car off while driving, to apologizing to a tenant for someone else’s mistake. Even though I was apologizing for something I didn't do, I noticed every single time I got the same reaction... calmness and appreciation. Every time I said those two words "I apologize", the person on the other ends mood would completely do a turn around. It is very rare to hear someone say they are sorry whether for something petty, something big, or something someone else did; what you’re doing by apologizing is acknowledging that there was a problem in the first place whether it was done by you or by someone else. I've always been one to automatically apologize for something but when I first started at my job my boss whom is like a father would always tell me "never apologize for something, for when you apologize you are taking fault for something as if you did something wrong". On the contrary from what he said I would always still apologize because I found that when I would do so most would become at peace and cooperate more with you.

Too often we are quick to judge and slow to apologize. Worse yet, we justify our actions by saying something like, "everyone does it" or "no big deal". It takes courage to admit a mistake. Ben Ames Williams said this about courage; "life is the acceptance of responsibilities, or their evasion; it is a business of meeting obligations, or avoiding them". What I learned from today’s deed is, be quick to apologize and you will be living your very best life. We've all heard the saying "be quick to forgive". The saying, "be quick to apologize" is just as important, and much more difficult to carry out. Apologies are ego-killers.

And when you go to apologize always remember this... sorry doesn't mean they're right, and you're wrong. It means you value your relationship more than your ego!!