I'm Sorry. So Sorry. Please Accept, My Apology...

The public apology has become a bit of a sport since the days of Bill Clinton. He wouldn't admit anything, but was still sorry. Some say he wasn't sorry enough. Some say he wasn't sorry early enough. Some say he wasn't sorry LONG enough. Of course, he's still married to our Secretary of State, so he either was sorry enough, or continues to be sorry on a daily basis.

Before him was Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker, both performing apoplectic apologies publicly, and year after year, more preachers, writers, politicians, athletes, and entertainers have walked the tightrope of regret.

We begged Pete Rose to admit his sins of betting on Baseball, and apologize, so we could see him in the Hall of Fame. He finally did, but we decided he didn't mean it, and are left empty inside.

The parade of politicians sleeping with women who are not their wives has been rather long of late - with apologies that sound a lot like little boys caught with their hands in the cookie jar - 'It was wrong, I'm sorry, but I couldn't stop myself'. The term soul mate has been a favorite, lately.

David Letterman is the latest apologizer to hit - and he took a unique approach. He has the advantage, of course, of addressing the world from his home field - his own television show. By both apologizing and revealing a blackmail scheme, he introduces a couple of threads to the public discussion. Yes, he's a typical jerk who had affairs at work (at a time when he involved, but not married), but now he's introduced a bigger jerk who threatened to rat him out if he didn't pay large sums of money. An affair of the heart is understandable in today's world, but blackmail is a major crime, and we love our crime shows even more than our soaps.

We all face moments in our lives when we must apologize. We make choices that aren't the best. We hurt people. We let them down. We offend. The very concept of Reclaiming our Power of Choice cannot work outside of the concept of taking responsibility for those Choices, and occasionally having to apologize.

Anatomy of an Apology

A. The Earlier the Better - don't wait to get 'caught' - catch yourself.
B. Acknowledge the Pain - THEIR pain, not yours.
C. Check their Pulse - are they ok? What consequences are they facing thanks to YOU?
D. Propose a Solution - how can you make up for what you did? Warning: sometimes you CAN'T.
E. Follow Through - put the solution into action quickly, with enthusiasm and contrition.
F. If you blow E., return to A. and begin again.

Of course, too many apologies will lower your credibility, both with others and with yourself. Make them, mean them, and then work to avoid them...by making your choices with more precision each day. Be a Champion!