To deny the impact of your actions, on yourself and others, is one of the greatest forms of self-sabotage.

Acknowledging how others perceive you, regardless of how you think your actions should be perceived, can be difficult – but it’s very valuable.

Especially when you hear how others perceive you and it’s not in a way you would want to be perceived, it’s especially challenging.

Can you acknowledge the discrepancy between how you wish to be seen and how you are seen?

My initial reaction has often been to deny it.

Getting caught up in considering if what I did was actually right or wrong. Now whether if your actions were, wrong, etc is not the focus. The focus is on the fact that you did something that made this person feel a certain way.

To acknowledge how others feel and apologize for making them feel that way meets their need to be understood, and in many ways shows that you’re interested in accommodating those needs.

There are some scenarios where this course of action is destructive. What others perceive from you doesn’t always matter – but it needs to be acknowledged.

It might be uncomfortable but it sets you up for success.