My Sincerest Apologies…
As overstated as it is, it’s true - we all make mistakes. Even though we try to live up to the expectation of being perfect, it, unfortunately, does not exist (Of course, my cat’s an exception). Our obsession with being perfect manipulates us into thinking that being wrong is a bad thing, which makes owning up to our mistakes incredibly difficult or nonexistent altogether. Actually, I’ve noticed that saying the words I’m sorry (genuinely) is a strenuous task for many people. It’s like they’d rather sell their soul before admitting defeat to you (god forbid you even think about uttering those two words). That’s probably because we think that those two words damage both our egos and reputation. As a way to preserve our dignity, we would much rather burn a bridge, than own up to the mess we’ve created. I would argue that asking for forgiveness says a lot more about you. Contrary to popular belief, it raises your integrity and self-respect in everyone else’s eyes. And, obviously, I’m not one to put myself above all this. No matter how hard I try to acknowledge every mistake I’ve made, I may owe many people apologies. When I was younger (I still do it at times), I actually had the opposite problem… I apologized too much. I would apologize for inconveniences that were never my fault and allowed people to walk all over me. Oh, you’re late? (I’m sorry for waiting). Oh, you ruined my dress? (I’m sorry for standing in your way). Oh, you’re stupid? (haha I’m just sorry). I also quickly learned that’s not right either because an apology isn’t a response to things that are upsetting, it’s taking ownership of your own actions. If it’s not your fault then there’s no reason for you to do so, you deserve better than that!! Like a picture, an apology can say a thousand words even though it only takes two. If you know you have a few apologies to catch up on, I recommend you do it before it’s too late. I promise it feels a lot better than allowing it to eat you up. Keep your notifications on, maybe I owe you one. ;-) Kisses.
- With love, Fiza Usman
