When Wrong

“Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it…” from 12-step literature.

Being able to admit I’m wrong is a powerful tool. This step allows me have a state of mind that sometimes helps me avoid conflicts before I have to apologize.

At one point in my life my broken alcoholic/addict ego didn’t allow me to admit wrong about anything. 

If anyone was wrong it was you. Or the rest of the world.  It was my boss. It was the moron who cut me off on the freeway. It was my children. It was all those people who just didn’t understand wonderful me.

Now I use this step each day. And the response from others is wonderful.  I apply it often in business situations where there is a communication breakdown and maybe the conversation’s moving in a bad direction.

Rather than try to figure out who’s right or wrong I’ll ask a question like, “Maybe I’m not really clear about what we’re trying to accomplish here.” And then we’ll go back over the situation again until we reach a resolution. And it’s always much easier when the person realizes that I’m receptive to the idea that they might be right

Thinking in the framework of this step allows me to stay open to others and to sometimes defuse potential conflicts before they arise.  

And when wrong, I readily admit it. It defuses the situation and I move on with my life and my recovery…