About Apologizing
Empathetic apologies heal relationships better than defensive explanations alone ever.
During Year-end times, emotions can run high...in positive and challenging ways! I have a family with 4 kids...I know something in this area. 🤷
So imagine one makes a mistake in a hot moments and needs to apologize.
You could start by explaining what happened in detail, defending your actions, and hoping that clarifies things.
But imagine instead you start by fully acknowledging the other person's feelings first. You say: "I see this hurt you, and I'm sorry." Then you stop and wait.
Which approach do you think repairs relationships better? (because that's really what apologies are about!)
Explanations often sound like a defense to the receiving person - an intellectual way to deflect responsibility. Empathy, on the other hand, shows genuine regret for the emotional impact you caused.
Empathy doesn't mean excusing what went wrong. It means connecting with the person's experience. When you practice empathy in apologies, you take a courageous step towards rebuilding trust.
Wish you lots of connecting conversations these days and a great start into 2026!!