Hopefully no one reading this post will be surprised by my confession that “I’m not always right.” Adding to the title of this post, however, it is also true that you (readers) are not always right either. The reality is that no one is always right.

Realizing that we are not always right is an important reality we need to grasp and admit (perhaps especially to ourselves). All of us I would think have been around some who think and act as though they are always right. A person who thinks he/she is always right is not attractive or someone whose company we enjoy.

Everyone, of course, is welcome to their opinion and position. But to insist that their position or opinion is always right is unbecoming to those who do not agree nor hold their position.

Have you ever wondered why some people insist they are always right? I’m thinking they may have an issue with pride and therefore an unwillingness to admit they are wrong. Some people find it demeaning to admit they are or were wrong about something–it’s hard for them not to be right.

Wanting or thinking you’re always right can lead to disagreement and argument. I usually can accept disagreement, but too often am disappointed that disagreement grows into intense argument.    

A lot of disagreements about who is right not only leads to argument, but can result in ill will between those arguing as well as a melting of mutual respect. When the back and forth moves to belittling and anger it’s time to conclude the disagreement and the argument and move on.

Don’t you get tired of being around those who always insist they are right? Why do some of us think we always have to be right? Another outgrowth of thinking one is always right is the loss of listening to what others are saying. We don’t have to agree, but we should listen even when we don’t agree.

As a person matures they usually come to the realization that they don’t have to always be right. My experience is that as I have come to accept that I am not always right I am less intense, more fun, and less often hotly arguing about things that are not that important.

I’m not always right, and I have learned that it is healthy to admit that to myself as well as to those with whom I have meaningful conversations. I am not humiliated to say those magic words: “I was wrong.” I say them to God, to my family and friends, and to others I hope will accept my honesty.

Have you come to realize you are not always right? And have you learned to say “I was wrong”?

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