Don't Make This Mistake When You Fail

Everyone makes mistakes. Dealing with our mistakes is a skill we need to cultivate.

When we fall short it can be tempting to fail with abandon. This is an important concept, one that needs to be widely understood. Whenever you fail, do not make this mistake. Nate Soares describes the idea as follows:

If your goal was to watch only one episode of that one TV show, and you've already watched three, you don't have to binge-watch the whole thing.  

Over and over, I see people set themselves a target, miss it by a little, and then throw all restraint to the wind. "Well," they seem to think, "willpower has failed me; I might as well over-indulge." I call this pattern "failing with abandon.

When we fall short, we may give ourselves permission  to continue falling. But this behavior is puzzling. If you'd like to go to bed at 12pm, just because you've overshot your goal and it's 12:15, that doesn't mean that you need to stay out until 2.

Learning to catch yourself, in that quick moment, when you realize the time and are deciding whether to stay out further or call it a night is key. Whatever your are trying to do, there is that moment when you can decide to fulfill your goal even if it won't be 100% perfect.

If you make a mistake, miss a goal, remind yourself that you still want to get as close a possible. You want to have a character that is as excellent as can be. Not being deterred by obstacles, whether those are the decisions of others or yourself is part of that. Don't fail with abandon.