Being Wrong

Being wrong is a natural part of the human condition. We're wrong all the time and about all kinds of things. What's rare, though, is acknowledging it. Why is it so hard to say the simple words, "I was wrong"? Sometimes we don't know we're wrong and we continue on our path in ignorance. But so often we know we're wrong and we defend it to the death. When we step back and look at it, it's such a strange thing to do. The consequence of being wrong is typically negligible. Certainly some mistakes carry greater weight than others. But I'm talking about the routine stuff - the incorrect assumptions and mistakes that happen every single day. What if instead of just focusing on being right, we focused on being true? If we're going to lead well it's an absolute imperative. We don't earn trust and respect by being error free. We earn it by acknowledging when we're wrong, learning from our mistakes and doing it better the next time. 

It feels trite to even write that last sentence because of how obvious it is, but I needed to hear this today. I hope you did, too.