Have you had your eye on a new car, purse, piece of clothing or tool? We’ve had our eyes on all of these things and then more! But, what happens when you have your eye on something new, but you’re either not ready to purchase it, or for whatever reason you just can’t? Perhaps you have the option of borrowing it. Maybe a very kind friend or family member owns an item that you’d like to “test” out before you commit to it?

While we usually have good intentions with other people’s belongings, the reality is that sometimes, thing just happen.

So, what happens when you inadvertently ruin, lose, damage, misplace, destroy or mutilate something that you borrowed from someone else.

Scarlet Says…

Fess up: When you mess up, just fess up. If you try to take the route of covering it up or avoiding it, believe me, you will surely get caught and you’ll make the situation much worse than what it has to be. Honesty is the best policy.

Take responsibility: Regardless of what happened, it happened. Avoid placing the blame on someone or something else. The item was supposed to be in your care and returned in the same condition that it was when you received it. Take responsibility to right the situation.

Be realistic: Of course you want to rectify the situation as quickly as possible, but avoid committing to something that you know is humanly impossible. Saying that you can immediately replace something that you do not have the funds or resources for is unrealistic and likely impossible. Be realistic about when you can replace this item and stick to it.

No one (hopefully) goes around borrowing and purposely ruining people’s stuff, but the reality is that mistakes do happen. If you find yourself in this situation, it’s always the best decision to do the right thing.

Until next time,

Scarlet