There are two incredibly powerful words. It is through these two words that we can actually begin to place ourselves where what is True, Right, and Bright can touch us. The two words are "I'm sorry."
Most of us learn to say "I'm sorry" because it gets us through problems. Usually we say "I'm sorry", if we actually do, without any real sincerity behind the words.
But only human beings have the capacity to be sorry. The capacity to be sorry comes from the recognition that you have missed the mark. But most of the time we are full of reasons why we are "in the right" to be who we are and behave the way we do.
Life is bringing every human being the never-ending opportunity to see where thought has created--out of itself--a monster in make-up. What a fine day it is when humility born of honesty replaces the pride that wants to keep in place what we have been in the past. "Our humiliation is our salvation."
If you ever have to defend yourself, you've started from a position that is indefensible. Trying to prove to yourself that you are right never works. A moment of sorrow over being what you are is a moment of sweetness in God's Life because the sorrow comes as a result of a lesson learned. And most often the lesson we learn is that all I'm ever concerned with is myself.
Learn what it means--inwardly--to place wanting to see what you are ahead of wanting to prove to yourself that you are what you take yourself to be.