Chapter 13 4. Have the courage to admit your mistakes

Introduction: A person who has the courage to admit his mistakes can also get a certain sense of satisfaction.Not only is this an atmosphere of guilt-free and self-justifying, but it is conducive to resolving substantive issues. Where I was living was almost in the center of New York City, but there was a forest within a minute's walk from my house.I often take my Boston pug Ricks for walks in the park, he is a kind and harmless little dog; and since I don't meet people often in the park, I always go without a leash or a muzzle. One day we met a policeman on horseback in the park—a policeman anxious to assert his authority.

"What do you mean by letting that dog run around in the garden without a muzzle and a leash?" He asked me, "Don't you know it's against the law?" "Yes, I know it's against the law," I replied softly, "but I don't think it can do any harm here." "You can't! You can't! The law doesn't care what you think. That dog may hurt a squirrel, or bite a child. Well, this time I'll let you go, but if I catch the dog here again without a muzzle Cage, don't wear the leash, and you'll have to speak to the judge." I humbly promised to obey his order.

And I did actually do it a few times, but Ricks didn't seem to like the gag, and neither did I, so we decided to take our chances.Everything was fine at first, but then we ran into trouble.Rex and I were jumping over a hill one afternoon, and all of a sudden—I was horrified to see the authority of the law—the policeman on a sorrel horse.Rex was running ahead, heading for the policeman. I knew there was nothing I could do, so I pre-empted the police before they started talking.I said, "Officer, you caught me on the spot. I broke the law. I have no excuses. I have no excuses. You warned me last week that if I bring a dog here again without a muzzle, you will be punished." I."

"Oh, now," said the policeman in a soft voice, "I know it's tempting to let a puppy run around here when no one is around." "That's a real temptation," I replied, "but it's against the law." "A puppy like that can't hurt anyone," the police officer said in his defense. "No, but it might hurt the squirrels," I said. "Oh, now, I think you're taking it too seriously," he told me, "and I'll tell you what to do, you just make it run over the mound so I can't see it—and we forget about it Never mind."

Like normal people, this Mr. Cop wants a sense of self-respect, so when I start blaming myself, the only way to increase his self-esteem is to be magnanimous to me.But what if I defend myself? I did not argue with him head-on, I admitted that he was absolutely right and I was absolutely wrong, and I admitted it readily, frankly, and sincerely.I speak for him, and he speaks for me in turn.And only a week before, this policeman had threatened me with legal sanctions. If we know we're going to be blamed, why don't we preemptively admit our mistakes?Isn't it better to blame yourself than to be blamed by others?

President George Washington displayed many fine qualities at an early age.There are many fruit trees in his family's plantation.Once, George's father, Mr. Washington, bought a good cherry tree from across the ocean.Mr. Washington loved this cherry tree very much. He planted it beside the orchard and told everyone on the farm to take good care of it and not let anyone touch it. One day, Mr. Washington gave George a sharp hatchet to clear the miscellaneous trees, and then went out by himself.George was very happy to have a small sharp ax with which he was chopping trees in the plantation.Probably because he was too happy, he accidentally cut down the cherry tree.

That evening, Mr. Washington finished his farming work, took the horse back to the stable, and then came to the orchard to look at his cherry tree. Unexpectedly, his beloved tree was cut down to the ground.He asked everyone, but no one said they didn't know.Just then, George happened to pass by. "George," cried my father in a loud voice, "do you know who cut my cherry tree down?" Seeing his father so angry, George realized that his own impulsiveness had caused the trouble.He whimpered for a while, but soon regained his senses. "I can't lie," he said, "Papa, I did it with the axe."

Mr. Washington had calmed down by this time, and he asked George, "Tell me, George, why did you chop that tree down?" "I was playing and I didn't expect..." George replied. Mr. Washington put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Look at me," he said, "of course I'm sad to lose a tree, but I'm also glad that you have the courage to tell me the truth. I'd rather have a brave and honest child than May I have a lush orchard of cherry trees. Do remember that, son." George Washington never forgot this.He remained as brave and respected as a boy until the end of his life.

Most of us, like George Washington, were brought up to be honest, and sadly, most of us have fallen short of that.Of course, we can find all kinds of reasons to justify ourselves, so that we can both lie and feel at ease.In many cases, we refuse to admit our mistakes in order to maintain our dignity, or out of self-protection, even if admitting mistakes will not bring us any punishment-refusing to admit mistakes seems to be a subconscious behavior, even if We don't know why. This is a terrible behavior.If you believe you have made a mistake, the only thing you can do is admit it.This doesn't have serious consequences for you.A stupid person will always find a way to justify or cover up his mistakes, but a wise person, on the contrary, will usually admit his mistakes openly, because it will bring him something more.

A person who has the courage to admit his mistakes can also get a certain sense of satisfaction.This is not just about removing the climate of guilt and self-justification, but helping to address substantive issues.In an auto repair shop in New York, there was a brave admission that I was wrong. Not long after Bruce joined the repair shop, he was well received by his boss and colleagues for his enthusiastic work attitude. But one day, due to his carelessness, Bruce sold a car engine worth $5,000 to a customer for $2,500.Colleagues gave him an idea to get back the customer immediately: if he couldn't get it back, he could also advance the $2,500 in private.But Bruce felt that these methods were not good, so he decided to admit his mistakes to his boss.Those co-workers stopped him, thinking he was stupid for doing it, because it would cost him the job.But Bruce insisted on his views.

Bruce came to the boss's office with an envelope containing money. "I'm sorry, Mr. Brown," Bruce said, "today, for personal reasons, I made a huge mistake that cost the repair shop $2,500. I'm ashamed of the mistake I made, and I intend to resign from this job. Before leaving, I intend to make up for this loss. This is my $2,500 indemnity, please accept it." After hearing this, the boss was silent for a while, and then said to Bruce: "Are you really going to do this?" "Yes, Mr. Brown," Bruce replied, "I got the price of the engine wrong. I did make the mistake, so I am the only one responsible. I could have gone to the customer. , but it would damage the reputation of the repair shop. I am fully responsible for this matter. Therefore, this is the only way I can do it." Bruce's brave behavior of admitting his mistakes impressed his boss.He knows that anyone will make mistakes, the key is to have the courage to admit and correct your mistakes.So, the boss didn't approve Bruce's resignation, but gave him more room for development and valued him more, and Bruce got much more than $2,500 for bravely admitting his mistakes . Plenty of people also defend their mistakes - and that's exactly what most stupid people do.And those who dare to admit their mistakes will be forgiven by others, giving people a humble and noble impression. Albert Heba is one of the most creative writers admired by the whole country (referring to the United States), and his satirical writing often arouses strong disgust in others.However, Heba often uses his rare skills in dealing with people to turn enemies into friends.For example, when some exasperated reader wrote in to disagree with one of his articles and ended by berating him, Herba would reply: "When I think about it, I don't quite agree with myself either. What I wrote yesterday, I may not be satisfied with today. I'd be glad to know your opinion on such matters, and if next time you're in the neighborhood , Welcome to come, we can communicate with each other, and wish you peace." What can you say in the face of a person who treats you like this?When we are right, we are to gently and tactfully win others to agree with us; when we are wrong, we are to admit our mistakes quickly and sincerely.Not only can this produce amazing results, but in many cases, it will far outweigh your defense of yourself. Stephen is the owner of a tailor shop. Because of his good management, the tailor shop is doing very well.One day, a lady named Harris came to the store and asked to make an evening dress.After Stephen finished the gown, he found that the sleeves of the gown were half an inch longer than required.Unfortunately, he ran out of time to revise it, for Mrs. Harris' allotted time had come. When Mrs. Harris came to pick up her evening dress, she saw nothing wrong.She tried on the evening dress and found that it added a lot of temperament to herself, so she repeatedly praised Stephen's superb craftsmanship.Unexpectedly, when she planned to pay the original price after the trial, Steven refused to accept.So Mrs. Harris asked him why. "Ma'am," said Stephen, "the reason I cannot take your money is because I made a great mistake—I made the sleeves of your evening dress half an inch longer. I am sorry, and I hope you Forgive me. If you will give me a little time, I will make it to the size you need for free." After listening to Mrs. Harris, she repeatedly emphasized that she was very satisfied with the dress and did not care about the half-inch length of the sleeves.However, she couldn't persuade Stephen to accept the money for the dress, and in the end, she had to give in. Mrs. Harris went back and said to her husband: "Stephen will definitely be famous in the future. His serious work, superb skills, and sincere attitude make me firmly believe in this." As expected, Stephen later became a world-renowned fashion designer. Don't forget this saying of wisdom: "By fighting, you will never be satisfied; but by giving in, you will gain more than you expect." This truth is understood by everyone, but it is only practiced There are some difficulties. What I want to emphasize is that if you really want to succeed and become a good talker, please remember number 4: If you are wrong, you must admit your mistake quickly and honestly. Volunteering to admit mistakes only earns you points: (1) The courageous admission of mistakes is the noble character of all great men. (2) Don't be afraid that others will laugh at you for admitting your mistakes. In fact, if you don't admit it, they will not only point it out to you, but also laugh at your cowardice and hypocrisy more easily.