Saturday, September 10, 2011

Is It OK to Be Wrong?

"No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong."

This quote by François de La Rochefoucauld showed up in my quote-of-the-day email from goodreads.com.  It reminded me of the stress I endured living with someone who could not admit he was wrong -- and how everything changed when he finally learned to say, "You were right and I was wrong."  He says it all the time now.  So do I.

When you say, "You were right and I was wrong," the conflict is over.  If you don't say it, the conflict -- which might have been trivial -- stays alive taking up precious mental real estate.  So if it is obvious that you were wrong, learn to say the seven magic words.  Need a lesson?  Click here for a nine-second video of a man admitting he was wrong.

Having ended one conflict, we can move on to the new disagreements that are waiting for us just beyond the next cup of coffee.

1 comment:

  1. I think that both myself and my wife could do a better job of using those 7 words. I cannot control her behavior though, only mine. -Tomorrow I will make a concerted effort to be mindful of these 7 words. It always amazes me that we (humans) are often the hardest on those we love the most. -So strange, isn't it?

    Great post as always Lil.

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