I'm sorry to have to tell you this

"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud."

I'm stubborn. It's eased up over time, but I still have that stubborn streak in me. Once, my hubby and I were driving home from somewhere, at least a half an hour, and through the course of our conversation I stubbornly stopped talking. I was probably trying to prove a point. It annoyed and frustrated him. I have no idea what it was that made me mad enough to stop talking, but it was childish and unproductive. I have matured a bit since then and when I feel myself regressing into those very same immature behaviours, I remind myself that acting like that really isn't productive.

Along with this realization came my ability to admit my faults and apologize when I have wronged somebody. Since I'm admitting my faults here, I must tell you that I still fall short in this and don't always apologize when I need to. But I usually see the light and come around to apologizing a few days later. I have too much of a guilty conscience now.

But in interacting with many different kinds of people these days, I'm realizing that not everyone cares about admitting their faults. Generally speaking, there are three different kinds of people:
1) Those who offer half-hearted (at best) apologies, without really meaning a word of it.
2) Those who rarely offer apologies, not willing to look for (let alone acknowledge) any wrong-doing on their part.
3) Those who offer sincere apologies, feeling bad about their transgressions (intentional or not).

I have found myself increasingly frustrated with people who are unwilling to get over themselves. If you haven't said I'm sorry recently, please examine your daily interactions to see how you measure up against the humility chart. Here are a couple suggestions:
If you have lied or presented facts in a less-than-honest way...
If you have discovered that an assertion you made was incorrect...
If you wouldn't admit that someone else's idea may be better than your own...
If you have hurt somebody, even unintentionally through your words...
If you have ignored someone else (adults or kids) because of your own agenda...
If your spouse/friend/family member feels like they can't talk to you anymore...
If you're in the wrong for whatever reason...
...get over yourself and apologize today!

A little apology can go a long way. The best thing about an apology is that once you've said it, it gets a lot easier to say it the next time. Exercise your apology muscle to make it stronger and more capable of doing its job.