How Would You Assess Your Ability To Use Hindsight In Favorable And Useful Ways?

The benefits of hindsight have generally to do with learning from mistakes and the purported ability to develop complete understanding (as in 20-20 hindsight) of the past. What happens if we’re wearing less than perfect “lenses” as we review the past? I’ve known many people who carry what I call a “cup of worry” that […]

“It May Be Difficult To Learn From Our Mistakes” ~ Diane Halpern

Not everyone shares the same sanguine view of hindsight. Author Diane Halpern is downright contrarian and writes: “Hindsight is of little value in the decision-making process. It distorts our memory for events that occurred at the time of the decision so that the actual consequence seems to have been a ‘foregone conclusion.’ Thus, it may […]

Is Hindsight Truly 20-20?

The old saying is that hindsight is 20-20, but is it really? Perhaps in an ideal world, we’d learn from our mistakes so well that our analysis of what happened would be perfect – but life experience teaches that often the same kinds of analyses that produced the “mistake” in the first place are at […]

Has Beating Yourself Up Ever Been A Habit For You?

Who among us has not made some huge mistake – or at least a mistake that felt huge at the time? Perhaps a careless comment, a unfortunate traffic matter, or misplacing something so that we cost ourselves or someone else some money. Often, our response has been to beat ourselves up – and to continue […]

Some Of The Key Indicators For Whether Or Not You Have Done Your Personal Best

Some of the indicia of whether or not we have done our personal best include: Have we improved a situation both for ourselves and others? Have we grown by stretching ourselves beyond what is easy and convenient? Have we stopped and chosen where we want to focus our best efforts, all the while knowing that […]

The Freedom To Err Is Fundamental To All Freedoms

This week, let’s consider freedom in as many different contexts as possible. Gandhi said, “Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err.” The freedom to experiment, to make choices and to make mistakes is foundational for other freedoms. Dogma opposes freedom. Yet, seemingly paradoxically, there can be tremendous freedom in […]

Releasing Attachment to Wrongs and Starting Over

So far this week, we’ve focused on our own starting over. Today, consider the wisdom of allowing others to start over with you. Everyone has made mistakes in life. It’s just a matter of degree, but . . . face it, no one escapes doing some really dumb things. We can assist others in their […]