One of the internet lists I received a while back contained this item of interest:

“Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.”

It was an opportune moment when I read this, since I had just finished one of those internal monologues with myself about one of the character flaws that I know I have – an inability to gracefully lose an argument, or in the least, concede to having differing opinions.

Oh sure! On the surface, I smile gracefully, nod knowingly, and furrow my brow in complete agreement with the other person. But inside, oh so deep down inside, I am furiously banging my head on the desk in complete exasperation.

Yeah, I know. You can label it in any way you want: type A, driver personality, control freak … blah blah blah. It still boils down to the single fact that I hate being wrong. Okay make that two things … I seem to like ending a losing argument with a lot of flare. As it turns out, I also can lessen the blow of losing an argument by claiming the dramatic attention and focusing it on myself.

You know the type, and you may have dealt with some of them in your daily life. You may even be one! A door slammer, a leave the room in a huff person, a hang-up the phone on someone person, a “fine” yeller … so on and so on. You get the idea. And in the heat of realizing that I am wrong, I steal the thunder away from the awesome fact that you may be right and leave in a righteous huff.

Or at least, I used to do that. I used to do that more, I should say.

But as I get older, being wrong just doesn’t seem like such a big deal anymore. Yeah, I’m wrong. I’ll be wrong again, and probably often and in public. The key is to be okay with t before I am actually wrong again. Yep, I will be okay with it when the time comes. It just seems like I can say I’m wrong much easier these days … as if I no longer have anything to prove.

How about you?

…