The ability to reflect on our actions & the results they produce is powerful.
The ability to learn from them is a superpower.
When we’re pursuing a goal, we often get wrapped up in focusing solely on the outcome we want. We judge our success or failure on whether we attain the thing we’re hoping for… and all else falls by the wayside as we do so.
The total value of an experience – regardless of how it turns out – is far greater than what we get if we win…
Because any experience can be transformative if it’s processed correctly.
Whatever we gain by succeeding pales in comparison to what we gain when we learn from the process.
But as true as this is, there’s also a hidden downside.
In hindsight, it’s easy to look back and see all the ways we wasted time, energy, money, or other resources in pursuit of a specific outcome.
If we were given the chance to do it all over again, we imagine that we’d do things differently. We’d learn from our mistakes! And we’d do a better job avoiding the all-too-obvious pitfalls we fell into the first time around.
And yes – maybe we would.
Maybe, if we were able to attempt the journey a second time, things could be different.
Or maybe we’d just run into other roadblocks.
Maybe, in avoiding the pitfalls we expect, we’d walk directly into others.
Maybe the overconfidence endowed by the ability to reflect & learn from our actions blinds us to the reality:
Whatever we did before or thought before, we were probably doing it with good intentions.
We were probably making the best decision we were capable of at that time.
Thinking that we could have gotten to the point faster, or easier, or quicker than we did is a good standard for certain situations. But there are no guarantees.
Rather than becoming entrenched into a superior view – one where we believe our hindsight grants us foresight – we should instead choose to reflect honestly on the path ahead.
Don’t assume things will be different just because you’re different. Determine what you’ll do differently this time around. How you’ll mitigate risks, avoid those same pitfalls, and prevent suboptimal psychology from leading you down the same path all over again.
And above all else:
Acknowledge that, whatever price you paid, it’s a price you’ve paid.
Whatever it took to get to this point is now gone. No refunds, no returns.
It’s up to you to make the most of your acquisition…
To learn what you can, multiply the value of your investment, and move forward with hard-earned capacity.