Do you learn from your mistakes?

[Capn Flukie]

I had something happen to me recently (as some of you know), and I'm coming to believe I don't.

I thought I was someone who when something bad happened, I took what ever positive things I could from it and learn to be a better person because of it, and not let it happen again. So I thought.

My recent 'happening' seems like a note-for-note rereading of the previous 'happening', only this time I'm getting over it much quicker. Fact remains, it still happened, and I let it happen. I will continue to work on this aspect of my personality, and not just 'give up'.

How about you? Do you learn from your mistakes, or do you find you are trapped repeating them?

 

[All Seeing Eye]

Yes, I learnt not to lend people money and I learnt never to trust another human being regardless of how well you think you know them.

 

[nevermore]

How about you? Do you learn from your mistakes, or do you find you are trapped repeating them?

It depends on the mistake. If it's a one-off thing then yes, I do learn from them and, assuming I remember the next time the situation arises, I modify my actions to avoid them.

On the other hand, if its a mistake or behavior that stems from a basic personality flaw or trait, most frequently my seemingly genetic predisposition to procrastination and avoidance, then I learn from it, know I shouldn't let it happen again, yet seem incapable of doing anything about it no matter how hard I try or how many times I tell myself not to put things off...

 

[john titor]

I guess yeah if its something simple and straightforward, however if its a type of mistake which reflects a larger system then like learning a skill, it may take a process of trial and error to minimize all permutations of that mistake to almost zero, and every so often another mistake can be made again. Example would be money/service/product orientated.

 

[Trippy]

Some skill based learning, sure. If I make a meal and burn it, I learn not to cook it as long, for example.

Bigger, personality based things like flamingliberal referred to, not so much. I procrastinate, and I try not to, but its hard to break the cycle of 'oh, I'll do that unpleasent thing later.'

Relationships, yes, I had a cycle of choosing the wrong men who always treated me poorly. The only way for me to break that cycle was not to choose (made easy by the fact that no one really asks me out anymore )

I learned other things, though, like how in school I was told I was stupid and was lucky if I'd graduate, to eventually going to university and becoming a teacher who'd never tell a student what they couldn't do if they tried.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I'm still a Mod, so... no.

 

[FPAlpha]

No when it comes to women

 

[The Sneeze Police]

I have two sayings from former bosses:

"We learn by singes and burns"...and I do tend to learn from my mistakes, but I do find myself repeating some mistakes quite a few times.

Another boss was fond of telling me that "A series of unrecognized errors does not constitute experience"...so I guess I would prefer to know about my mistakes, so I have a chance to learn from them.

 

[Rii]

I made a mistake five years ago that I'm only beginning to recover from. I'll never make that one again.

 

[Holdfast]

Do you learn from your mistakes, or do you find you are trapped repeating them?

I'll tell you when I make one...

 

[Gertch]

I learn from my mistakes and also try to learn something from other's mistakes.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I'm legally obliged to say "yes". But sometimes, I do have to be told twice.

As my schoolteacher once said, "Those who do not learn from History class are destined to repeat it."

 

[Lookingglassman]

Nope. Some mistakes are so great I gotta repeat them over and over again!

 

[miraclefan]

I made a mistake five years ago that I'm only beginning to recover from. I'll never make that one again.

OUCH!

 

[Emher]

You know, I try to, I really do. But the latest romantic incident indicates that I really don't after all. Perhaps after this I will finally learn.

 

[32JaX]

As you grow up, you learn from your mistakes. By 24 you own your mistakes. At 34, you deserve your mistakes.

 

[Capn Flukie]

I'm 48, I bypassed the list. Yay.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

No I don't. Seriously. I have suffered from social anxiety for most of my life and I have ample evidence that most things I am initially terrified of never turn out as bad as I believe they will. Because of my anxiety I have practiced what's called experiential avoidance for years which means I avoid anything new or different of challenging. I have ample evidence that this strategy has been a complete failure in getting me to what I desire in life. Yet I am still anxious and avoidant. Applying some good cognitive-behavioral techniques would probably go along way to helping this but since that would be something new and different and challenging I never have

 

[Amaris]

No. Wait, yes.


J.

 

[Australis]

From most of them yes. These days, I learn much faster. Try very hard not to make them again/anymore. Makes me sad we rarely learn from the positive experiences.