“I’ll do better next time.” It’s an optimistic thought. However, without a good dose of healthy self reflection on what happened last time, we are likely to repeat the same mistake.
Doing better next time takes more than just a commitment to the idea and goal. Without awareness of the lessons learned about the past, there is little chance that we will break free of these patterns. Surprisingly most self help courses or advice doesn’t provide any tools, systems, or techniques for reviewing past patterns, learning from them, or making changes in our self based on what we find. Most just rely on the hollow, but well intentioned, commitment.
Without awareness of the things you overlooked in your past choices and patterns of the past, you will miss those same things next time. A committment, no matter how well intentioned probably won’t take you as far in doing better as awareness.
Do better next time,,, reflect on past patterns and choices until you see where you went wrong. Then reflect on your self until you can see why you missed those critical observations in those moments. That will be a start. What assumptions did you make, why and how did you make them? When you can see how your mind projects assumptions in the moment and you can suspend your belief in them, that is awareness. And that is when you will have an opportunity to make a better choice next time.