Forgetting

Forgetting feels terrible. You’ve given your word, you’ve committed, people are counting on you, and you’ve forgotten. 

The knee-jerk might be to make up a little story, but that makes it worse. The secondary response is to own it but add an excuse to justify it. Both are natural protection moves...
“I’m sorry I forgot, it’s just that…” 

It’s worth practicing 100% ownership... "I’m sorry, I forgot.” (Notice the period.)
It takes courage to own our mistakes without softening the blow for ourselves. It turns out owning it 100% is a better approach.