We often hide our mistakes from people, fearing consequences of a punishment and of their opinion about us. Even if they find out what we did, we come up with a justification. Owning up our mistakes, apologizing, realizing and transforming almost always earns us acceptance and respect. Consequences nevertheless come to us, but so will the courage to face them. Start living by your values. Do not compromise on them. Pay attention to being right and doing right. Ensure your thoughts for yourself and others are pure, your words are uplifting, your attitude is humble, your behaviour with people is polite, your actions are righteous and your decisions are beneficial to you and everyone involved. But if you make a mistake, admit it immediately, take responsibility. Don’t justify, no matter how severe the consequence is. Become determined to never repeat your mistake. Accept your weaknesses and work on them.

Can you handle a harshly conveyed negative feedback about yourself, with stability? Does admitting to your faults seem hard at those moments? Does your ego drive you to get defensive? People who truly care for us, don’t hesitate to point out our weakness or mistake. Their intention is pure, but they may deliver it bluntly. Sometimes they even sandwich one layer of criticism between multiple layers of appreciation. Yet, our ego makes us fear the negative remark and defend ourselves. Received in the right spirit, feedback offers growth and is almost always inevitable. Let us avoid the awkwardness around it by not reacting impulsively. We need to reflect on the suggestions while ignoring the energy of criticism it came with. Let’s be authentic, own up mistakes and make feedback a pleasant experience rather than a bitter one. Remind yourself everyday – I am open to feedback about myself. Keeping my self-respect intact, I admit my mistakes, transform and move forward with dignity. I am an honest being. I come out stronger and wiser by admitting to my wrongdoings and not justifying them.