I was wrong.
I made a mistake.
I messed up.
Why are these phrases so hard for us to say?
I used to think that admitting any of the above was the worst thing I could possibly do. It triggered all sorts of shame, fear, and impostor feelings. If I didn't do everything perfectly -- the first time -- there was something wrong with me. If people knew there was something wrong with me, then they would know I was a fake and didn't deserve to be here. So when someone pointed out to me that I had done something wrong, my first reaction was to be defensive, make justifications, deny the mistake or wrong-doing. I acted this way because of some warped belief that it would make me look better and feel better about the situation.
It did neither.
