The word sorry is believed to be the hardest thing to say. And I believe that. I for one would always struggle when it comes to making apologies and excusing myself. When I make a mistake, I hesitate to apologize because it hurts my pride to admit that I’m wrong. But then if I don’t say sorry I’d feel more miserable because I know I’m wrong and I’m not acting mature about my actions.

So when I do make mistakes, I know there’s no escape for me but to apologize. And there’s only one way to do that and that’s to be sincere. Here are ways how you can be more apologetic and mean it.

Ask yourself why you’re saying sorry in the first place. Feeling apologetic means you’re guilty. Whether you were wrong or right, if you feel guilt, it means you know you’ve hurt the person.

Apologize when both of you have calmed down. We all know how hard it is to think straight when we’re angry. So just take your time. It will be easier for you to apologize if you’re not so mad anymore and it will be easier for the person to accept your apology is s/he’s not as hurt as much.

Are you writing a letter or do you think a personal apology is more your type? Depending on what’s more comfortable for you and what would be more appreciated by the person, you can choose either. But whichever you choose, make sure you choose your words so that you will be as sincere as you can.

Make amends. Realizing it was all your fault, try to make amends. Promise to be better next time so that the other person can really see that you’re sorry.