Should i swallow my pride and apologize

I yelled at my parents last week after they gave me some advice. I could do anything that I wanted to do all on my own. Giuseppe: No, not at all. I still feel like they should stop giving me advice. Unfortunately, it seems like the only way out of this problem is for me to ask my parents for a loan. In the dialogue below, a father is talking to his daughter about an argument they had.

Rafal: Vesna, do you remember how I yelled at you last week for tracking mud all over the floors? Rafal: Well, you know I hate to admit that I am ever wrong, but in this case I have to do so. Unfortunately, that may mean that you have to put some serious effort into considering the idea that you're in the wrong — at least partially.

And if you start to think that you might be, you'll have to figure out how you're going to admit it to the other person… Hopefully these tips — from someone who has spent his life struggling with these issues — can help you get there.

To get things started, try to Only you know your innermost thoughts. That's your exclusive space, and in that sense you know yourself better than anyone ever will. But that inner knowledge can drown out some of the awareness of how you present to the world.

You may think that the pure and virtuous motivations that underly your every act are evident, but you really can't know your role in the world without being open to the insights and observations of the people around you. Or maybe you strive to connect with the people around you by being open and comfortable with your emotional experience on a daily basis. That's a lovely thought, but don't be surprised if it turns out that they all think you're an oversharing narcissist. If you're not willing to learn from other people's perspectives, you will gain the distinct advantage of never having to admit that you're wrong, but you are also going to slowly alienate everyone in your life.

If, on the other hand, you like not feeling utterly, painfully alone in the world, you will occasionally need to see yourself from another person's perspective and tamp down that defensive impulse, which means you must be able to….

That flush of heat around your temples, the searching mindset — looking for the tiniest flaw in the other person's argument. It's official. Your hackles are up and you've gone full defense mode. Whether we realize it or not, most of us live under the assumption that we're pretty much always in the right, and that when it looks like we aren't, that's just because we haven't figured out the correct way of looking at the situation.

If you find yourself replaying each word the other person says, looking for a mistake they made — a counterexample, or some proof of their hypocrisy — you're doing it wrong. You're trying to win, which always gets in the way of understanding and fixing things. Just because it's called a fight, doesn't mean that an argument with someone you care about should be all about scoring points and damaging the other person's case. It's natural to feel attacked, but if you let your wounded pride rule you, you're going to miss the forest for the trees.

Mixed in with whatever flaws you find in their logic, they probably have a point. If you can notice the way pride works to block out the other person's perspective, you can start to tamp that pride down. A good first step might be to…. On some level you know it's true. Remember when you forgot how to spell "dentures," and spelled it "denchers" instead? You — just like everyone else on earth — are kind of an idiot. You're basically an ape that spends all its time pretending to have things figured out.

Most of the time you do a good enough job that you can even convince yourself, but it's important not to confuse the mask for your real face — the slack-jawed one with eyes fully glazed over. When a customer is upset, I try to do everything in my power to make them happy even if it means offering them a full refund while I take a temporary loss.

If you're not exactly sure what the problem was, feel free to ask follow-up questions to get to the heart of the issue. Remember to do this in a caring way, with a genuine desire to understand their point of view so you can provide a more helpful solution. After you apologize, ask if you've understood the problem correctly. You may have misunderstood their intentions, in which case you'll want to spend more time listening before trying again.

Finally, since you value them as a customer, you don't want them to feel chastised for criticizing or complaining. Let them know that they're welcome to send you more feedback in the future if they're ever unsatisfied with your service, and that you'll be willing to work with them to find more solutions. Remember, an apology is an opportunity to show your customer that you care.

If you can master the art of the apology, you'll be able to reverse negative situations and win over your customers for life. Top Stories. Top Videos. Getty Images. Sponsored Business Content.