After

Sometimes you do something really stupid. Shockingly stupid. You all know how that feels, right? You're virtually paralysed by the sheer boneheaded, stultifying halfwittedness of what you've done.

We're not just talking about locking your keys in the car - although admittedly that's one of the classics. We're talking about making a complete fool of yourself in front of someone whose opinion really matters to you.

You know that one. You screwed up. You know it.

It doesn't matter what you did. It doesn't matter why you did it.

It matters what you do after.

When you see them next. That moment that you're dreading. That you lay awake all night, not knowing what to do or what to say when it came. It's here. It's now.

Start with "I'm sorry."

Because you are, bonehead. You know you were wrong, and avoiding an apology, or trying to make it conditional - well, that's just not going to cut it. Blaming something or someone else isn't going to do it either, because you're just not being true to yourself.

After you mess up, bigger than big, start with "I'm sorry."

That's what I'm going to be doing.