01.07.T03-AP — Action Planning Worksheet: Making It Easier for Others to Forgive You

Taking Responsibility After Offending Someone

Use this worksheet to identify an offence that you need to address and determine what you can do to create a more conducive environment for forgiveness and repairing that relationship.

1. Have your responses ever made it more difficult for someone you have offended to forgive you?

☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ I am not sure

If yes, briefly describe what happened.

You do not need to identify the person by name.

2. What did you do or fail to do that may have made it more difficult for that person to forgive you?

3. Have you apologised to that person for the offence?

☐ Yes
☐ No

If yes, what did you say or do when you apologised?

If no, what has prevented you from apologising?

4. Is there anything about your previous response that you now believe you need to acknowledge to that person?

☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ I am not sure

If yes, what is it?

5. Is there an excuse or explanation that you have been using to justify what you did?

☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ I am not sure

If yes, what is it?

6. Have you continued or repeated the behaviour that offended that person?

☐ Yes
☐ No

If yes, what will you do to avoid repeating that behaviour?

7. How have you responded when that person has raised the offence or expressed dissatisfaction with your behaviour?

8. Is there anything about that response that you would now like to change?

☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ I am not sure

If yes, what would you like to change?

9. Have you withdrawn communication, treated the person less favourably or used your position, authority or influence against that person as a response to the complaint?

☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ I am not sure

If yes, what do you need to do differently?

10. Has that person made an attempt to resolve the situation with you?

☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ I am not sure

If yes, how did you respond?

11. Is there anything you need to do differently in response to that person's attempt to resolve the situation?

☐ Yes
☐ No

If yes, what will you do?

12. In what way has the offence and your subsequent response affected that person or your relationship with him or her?

13. As you went through your Self-Assessment, did you identify a practice that you would like to apply more consistently in this situation?

☐ Yes
☐ No

If so, which practice?

14. What specific action will you take to apply that practice?

15. When will you take that action?

16. What could make it difficult for you to take that action?

17. What will you do if that difficulty arises?

Your Commitment

The offence I need to address is:

The part of my response for which I need to take responsibility is:

The practice I need to apply more consistently is:

The action I will take is:

I will take that action by:

If the person raises the offence again, I will:

The change I would like to see in my own response is: