When you do something wrong, apologize. That seems like a simple statement. However, it can be very difficult for many people. Life is not a sport where the person with the highest score, wins. Where, if you apologize, you lose points. It is about being a good human. So, again, if you have done something wrong, apologize.

Apologize for your behaviors. Merely saying, “I am sorry if your feelings are hurt,” is not an apology. You are still not owning up to what you have done. Apologize for your words. Apologize for what you did to create those hurt feelings.

And simply apologizing is not enough either. If you continue to do the same behavior over and over again, then apologizing right after that does not make everything okay. You need to consciously try and change your behaviors. I am not saying that you never get to make a mistake. We all do that, probably daily. However, own up to it and then try to improve.

Apologizing does not mean that you have lost. It means that you are growing as a person and healing relationships. I call that a win.