Do you know that moment when you are like, “Ohmygosh! I did that again!” Well, everyone has these moments. Even the smartest people repeat their mistakes once in a while. However, what differentiates people is how they react to it. Some remain dumb and keep repeating their mistakes; some become desperate and do the same thing over again in an attempt to get a different result.In this article we will discuss why we make the same mistake over and over again? And if so, how can we stop doing the same thing again and again?
What is the reason behind repeating the same mistake?
Let’s say you were fired from your job, and you were unable to find a new job in 2 months. You might be wondering what went wrong, what were the reasons behind your failure?
There could be various reasons behind your failure, but the most common ones are:
You are not qualified enough: If you are not qualified enough for the job, you cannot get the job. There is nothing that you can do about it. You don’t have the right skills: Check your skillset and see if the job requires some other set of skills than the ones you possess. Your resume is not good enough: Good resumes are rare, and that’s why you should check out our resume and cover letter writing service.
Repeat Mistakes Because of Being Dumb
If you are repeating mistakes and are unable to learn from them, chances are you might be suffering from a condition called ‘Dumb.’ Yes, these people can be found everywhere – including the classroom, work place and social media. If a person fails to learn from his/her mistakes and keeps repeating them, that person is called ‘Dumb’.
When the same mistake keeps getting repeated, the person is unable to connect the cause and effect. This is because they fail to understand the reason behind their mistake, and they are unable to learn from their own mistakes. So, they keep doing the same mistake without realizing that they are failing every time.
Repeat Mistakes Because of Being Desperate
Sometimes people repeat mistakes as they are desperate to get the same result and to redeem themselves. If you are repeating a mistake because you want to get the same result and redeem yourself, you are called ‘Desperate’.
The person who is desperate to get the same result might have failed many times, but he/she is unable to move on. This is because the person is under the false impression that if he/she does something different, he/she will fail. Thus, he/she keeps repeating the same thing even though he/she fails every time.
3 Ways to Break the Repetition Cycle
Let’s say you have already identified yourself as either ‘Dumb’ or ‘Desperate’, and you want to break the pattern of repeating the same mistake over and over again. You have 3 ways to do so:
Admit your mistake: The first step towards breaking the pattern of repeating the same mistake is to admit that you have made a mistake. However, it is important to differentiate between ‘stupid’ and ‘dumb’ mistakes. ‘Stupid’ mistakes are those which are out of your control, and you have no control over them. ‘Dumb’ mistakes are those which you could have avoided had you been smarter. So, when you keep repeating the same ‘stupid’ mistake over and over again, you are ‘stupid’. When you keep repeating the same ‘dumb’ mistake over and over again, you are ‘dumb’.
Break your pattern: After identifying yourself, you need to break your pattern. The best way to break your pattern is to change the way you think. You need to change your mindset and adopt a new way of thinking. When you change your thinking pattern, you see the world in a different manner. This helps you to avoid repeating the same mistake over and over again.
Analyze the mistake: After breaking your pattern and avoiding the mistake, you need to analyze the mistake. By analyzing your mistake, you can learn from it and avoid it in the future. It is important to understand the why behind the mistake so that you don’t repeat it again in the future.
Bottom line
Life is a journey, and we make mistakes everywhere along the way. It is important to learn from these mistakes so that we don’t repeat them again. Hence, be smart, be careful, and be humble. When you make a mistake, don’t get frustrated. Instead, reap from it, and move on.