Most people will try to weasel out of their mistakes. But actually admitting a fault puts you one step closer to dealing with it, and it can often be the first step towards turning the problem around. At the very least, it shows that you’re someone with integrity and courage.

Here are a few pointers about admitting your mistakes:

• See things from someone else’s perspective: If you’ve made a promise and failed to keep it, put yourself in the other party’s shoes and see how things look from there.
• Be sympathetic: Realize that your mistakes might affect many more people than just you.
• Take responsibility: Don’t try to weasel out of it, and don’t look around for someone else to blame.
• Accept the consequences: Be prepared to embrace whatever befalls you as a result of the mistakes you’ve made.
• Have a plan: You should have a clear idea of what went wrong and how you can fix it.
• Be sincere: Show honest emotion; it’s the first step to rebuilding the trust lost.
• Apologize: Sometimes just a simple “I’m sorry” will do the job.

If you have trouble dealing with the fact that you’ve made a mistake to begin with, let alone face up to it publicly, EFT can help you strengthen your self-acceptance to realize that making mistakes is okay.