Learning from past mistakes

 
Some people don’t learn from their mistakes as easily as others, which unfortunately, can lead to an inability to make progress in life. Research suggests that in some people, this may be due to a problem in a gene within the brain that impairs the ability of a person to improve their performance based on knowledge of earlier errors. It is thought to be a common problem, with as much as thirty per cent of the population affected.

People who fail to learn from their mistakes tend to fall again and again for the wrong partner, continue to work in jobs that are unsuitable for them and suffer recurrent ailments without questioning the root cause.

Do you have trouble learning from past mistakes?

• Do you find yourself in repetitive detrimental situations?

• Do friends and family tire of giving you the same advice again and again?

• Do you try to forget mistakes as soon as you have made them?

• Do you always fall for the same type of partner, only to find out the relationship doesn’t work for you?

• Do you suffer from recurring illnesses of which you don’t know the cause?

Ways to help

• Bach Flower Remedy Chestnut Bud can be of use inhelping sufferers see themselves and their mistakes as others do; learning from every experience, gaining knowledge and wisdom. (Always read the label.)

• Acknowledge your mistakes as they happen. Admitting and thinking about your mistakes at the time will make it easier to learn from them in the future, rather than burying you head in the sand and forgetting about them – which makes it likely that you’ll repeat the same mistakes in the future.

• Ask a friend for their opinion. If you find it hard to acknowledge and learn from your mistakes, get a friend or family member to give you their honest and objective opinion on your behaviour – and ask them to keep you on track if they notice you repeating old patterns.

• Don’t equate making mistakes with being a failure. Everyone makes mistakes. We actually have the potential to learn more from our mistakes than we do from our successes.

• Think about how your behavior should change in you were in a similar situation again?

• Do your best. Analyze your mistake, think about what you would change if it happened again and then put it behind you. Don’t let a simple mistake undermine your confidence in the future.

• Don’t over-compensate for your mistake. The next situation won’t be the same as the last.