Second-time Mistakes

"You can't make the same mistake twice. The second time you make it, it's no longer a mistake, it's a choice."


Saw this on Twitter and it spoke to me.  Often times I have made the same "mistakes" more than once.  Some, or maybe most, I don't consider mistakes, but more of learning experiences. I am guilty, though, of trying the same things a few times and expecting different results. This most often times, for me, happens with relationships.  I seem to think the same thing might go over better in this new attempt at a relationship (friends, significant others, etc). Or possibly during a therapy session.  Or in a class.  I doubt I am the only one who has dealt with this.


Is it a choice though? I tend to think it might be habit. I tend to get in a pattern of the same things but expecting different results.  How do I break it? I think the answer is a lot of personal reflection.  It is time I ask myself the same thing I ask many of my clients: "Is this pattern working? If I did something different, what would the outcome be? What is one small change I can make to ensure (or hope for) a different outcome?"


Slowly but surely the changes are being made. I am making changes to myself, first and foremost-- something I have tried periodically in the past, and, ironically, has worked.  This is one choice I have made that has positive outcomes.