I (VERY BRIEFLY) played basketball in college. Actually, they gave me a uniform and a great seat for the games in exchange for 2 1/2 hours of practice a day and more trips through the Furr's buffet line than I care to recall.
Learned a lot of life lessons in that program. Here's one that I've carried with me for well over a decade:
I played out of position at point guard. Never was comfortable, mainly because it was my job to get other people the ball, and let's face it, I always picked my team in gym class based on who could pass to me the best. :)
Playing very uncomfortably out of position meant I turned the ball over. A lot. No really.
I got in the habit of apologizing after a turnover. 'My fault.' 'Sorry.' That kind of thing. The apology bug caught on because of me, and several people amped up their use of apologies after making mistakes.
Of course, apologizing can be a good thing. Taking responsibility for mistakes and such.
But one day our coach stopped practice after I tossed the ball into the third row and quickly acknowledged that it was my mistake and not the mistake of the guy who watched it sail over his head.
He said, 'Apologizing and taking responsibility for what you did is a good thing. But I'm less interested in an apology as I am that you do it right to begin with.'
Sometimes an apology for what you did--particularly one that is graciously received by the other party--gives you a false sense of freedom to do it again next time.
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