This should really go without saying, but I often see different scenarios where people often avoid giving a sincere apology when the offense more than warrants it. There are enough options for you to choose from, but I’m sure we all can recall a time where we were owed an apology we never received. Today we’re going to talk not so glamorous side to adulting and why we should always apologize when necessary.

“I’m not sure where the myth came from that women lack accountability, but I am here to break that mold.”

Life has a funny way of testing us to make us grow. Some lessons are more painful than others and I’m sure we can all relate to those difficult moments. The saying “hurt people hurt people” is so undeniably true and its not enough to just recognize it. From our primary years to adulthood, we all have at least one experience where we were left hanging with no apology in sight. Emotions can tempt us to do things that doesn’t necessarily align with who we are and that can hurt those close to us. I’m not sure where the myth came from that women lack accountability, but here I am to break that mold. Apologizing when necessary is simply taking full accountability for your actions when you’ve done something wrong or hurt someone. Usually our first reaction is to defend our actions without first taking into thought how our actions make other people feel. We don’t get to tell people how to react, despite this toxic, widespread belief that we should. When you truly value your relationships, you do what you can to keep communication open to solve disagreements because you appreciate the peace that real relationships bring.

“Intimacy cannot thrive in an environment where honest conversations don’t occur”

Many arguments in close relationships stem from various misunderstandings. Communication is something I value deeply for this very reason. I can be woman enough to admit that I’ve had very toxic moments where the absolute worst has come out of me. Where all I wanted to do was blame the other person for making me feel some kind of way to cause my reaction. Intimacy cannot thrive in an environment where honest conversations don’t occur. Creating a healthy environment means we acknowledge the good, bad and the ugly within ourselves and how that affects us in the way that we relate to other people. Ignorance is not bliss here and it never will be. We all have our own issues we deal with and life can get pretty hard and I’m not exception that rule. Still, it is no excuse to pacify or neglect shitty behavior. Take a moment as necessary to breathe and collect your thoughts. I try to keep in mind that no matter how frustrated I get, responding with more negative energy has NEVER given me the results I was looking for. It usually adds gas to my already lit fire and makes situations even worse.

Our children look up to us and pay us more attention than we give credit too. Sometimes we owe them apologies too. I stress that because I am not a do as I say, not as I do kind of parent. I make sure to embody the characteristics that I am trying to teach my child. That means being humble enough to have humility to stop and say I was wrong and apologize and it doesn’t matter who I’m talking to. Our children need to see these qualities in us to set a true example. Too often we operate from the ego, too big and empowered to lower ourselves to apologize. Silence is not an apology, be grown enough to accept and admit when you’ve messed up and try to fix it!

Apologizing when necessary is flat out the right thing to do and we all should encourage it more. Seek to understand vs confront and watch your life change. Let me know your thoughts below!