..:: Pieces of Mandy ::..

I was driving in the car the other night and heard the John Tesh show on 98.1. He was featuring a book called "The Power of Apology" which states that an apology is made of three components (the three R's):

1. Admitting REGRET
2. Accepting RESPONSIBILITY
3. RIGHTING the wrong

I always say - don't say sorry if you don't mean it...first off, you need to feel regret. If you don't feel regret, then you're probably not sorry.

Accepting responsibility is another big one - by recognizing how you've hurt or offended the other person is a big step. If you can't accept responsibility, then you're not sorry for your part. It's like the person who says, "I'm sorry...but..."

Righting the wrong is something that I think a lot of people, including myself, have problems with. What do you do once you've hurt someone? You can apologize forever, but until you SHOW them that you are sorry and are taking the steps to make it better, then your words are probably not going to mean as much. Apologizing shouldn't use so many words...if you're truly sorry, the other person will feel it.. see it.. know it.