Practice of the Week: Own Up to Your Mistakes

Sometimes when certain people lose an argument, they resort to making personal attacks on their opponent.

This is an extension of the natural human tendency to get defensive. While this quality is necessary to stand up for oneself at times, it also hinders us from accepting our faults, owning up to our mistakes or admitting that we were wrong. This is a defence mechanism that is always in place to protect one’s ego, which is quite fragile in nature.

Next time you are in a situation where you feel threatened in a conversation, observe yourself. Why do you feel threatened? Which part of you feels attacked? What is it that you feel you need to preserve?

Once you observe this, break free from this unhelpful movement that holds you back from acting courageously. Accepting one’s mistakes requires courage. Next time you find yourself in a situation where you are even partially wrong, do not hesitate to apologise and rectify the error that you made. Own up to your mistakes courageously.

You can also write down areas where you need to improve and work on them. Being honest with yourself and accepting your downsides are the first steps to improve oneself.