Learn from your previous mistakes

向以前的错误学习    

     众所周知，疯狂的定义是用同一种方式做同样的事情却期待不同的结果。但是重复失败不仅仅是一种疯狂的表现，它是对你不可能成功的一种否定。要想达到心理成熟，第一步要承认你做错了，然后找出你的错误在哪里，第三步是在下一次采取措施纠正你的错误，这表明你已经超越幼年逐步成熟。向以前的错误学习的最后一步是意识到会有办法纠正你犯的错误，并最终能取得成功。

     至少有四种类型的错误需要学习，你向它们学习什么取决于你的成熟和你犯的是哪种类型的错误。

     第一种错误是哑巴错误。这是“在人行道上跌倒”或者“碰还没干的油漆”的错误。这类似于小孩子逃避即将到来的拍击，然后躲到床底下一样。从这种哑巴错误中我们可以学到的唯一教训是对这种错误表示沉默，但是，这并不是说这种错误再也不会发生或者你在这种错误中学到了很多东西。毕竟，人行道上总会有崎岖不平的地方；我们总是有抑制不住的强烈愿望去看看“油漆未干”的标志是否对。

      第二种错误是低级错误。这是“你有你秘书的名字叫自己的老婆”或者“忘了把核对租金的信寄出去了。如果类似这种事情经常发生，或者如果这种事情成为你们夫妻之间争论的话题时，你或许应该找办法去记住一些差事和人名。如果这仅仅是注意力不集中的问题，你最好不要特别在意它。你能够从这错误学到的是你可以变得给有组织有规律或者你需要去学一些记忆技巧。

     第三种错误有一点严重。它是哑巴错误和低级错误的不断重复，却不知道它是错误，或者不知道如何去改变和学习错误以期在下一次得到不同的结果，这种错误叫做严重错误。这种错误可以而且应该导致一种思维的转变。如你因为经常迟到而失去工作，你可以拒绝承担错误的责任并拒绝改变错误，或者你会继续做一个心理不成熟的孩子，不知道向错误学习因为他们不懂得自己犯了错。不是这样，就是指责老板解雇了他们。

     第四种错误最让人感兴趣，同时也你最有机会学习的错误，这就是复杂错误。它可能是不可避免的，因为事情的整个环节都会渐渐导致失误的产生，这正是需要学习的地方。通过分析原因、时间、特征和错误的本质，你会发现错误完全不可避免，但是你或许可以利用这些信息，在事情进行的过程中做出不同的反应，从而达到不同的效果。 

The well-known definition of insanity is doing the same thing in the same way and expecting different results. But repeating a failure is not only a sign of insanity, it is a refusal to admit you may not be perfect. To have the emotional maturity to first admit you made a mistake, then to determine what the mistake was and thirdly to take steps to correct that mistake for the next time shows that you’ve grown beyond infancy. One final step in learning from your previous mistakes is realizing that there may not be any way to correct the mistake you’ve made and to be able to move beyond it.

There are at least four different types of mistakes and what you learn from them may depend on your maturity as well as the type of mistake you made.

The first type of mistake is the dumb mistake. This is the mistake of tripping on the sidewalk or touching wet paint. This is the child running from a promised spanking and hiding under the bed. About the only lessons which can be learned from a dumb mistake is that it was dumb to do it, but that doesn’t mean it will never happen again or that you’ve learned anything from the mistake. After all, there will always be rough spots on the sidewalk and we always have that uncontrollable urge to see if the “wet paint” sign is right.

Mistake number two is the simple mistake. This is the mistake where you call your wife by your secretary’s name, or you forget to mail the letter with the rent check. If something like this happens regularly, or if it becomes an issue between yourself and your spouse, you probably need to find a way to remember errands and names. If it’s simply a lack of focus, it’s probably best not to stress out about it. You can learn from this type of mistake that you can be better organized or that you may need to learn some memory techniques.

The third type of mistake is a little more serious. This is the dumb mistake or the simple mistake repeated over and over with either no understanding that it is a mistake, or no understanding of how to change and learn from the mistake so as to get different results the next time. This kind of mistake is known as the serious mistake. This mistake is one that could and should result in a change of thinking. If you lose your job because you are habitually late for work, you can refuse to accept the responsibility for the mistake and refuse to change, or you can continue to be the emotionally immature child who can’t learn from a mistake because they don’t understand that a mistake has been made. Either that or they blame the boss for firing them.

The fourth type of mistake is the most interesting, and also the one from you have the most opportunity to learn. This is the complex mistake. It may be the mistake that was unavoidable given all the sequence of events which led up to the error. This is where the learning comes in. By analyzing the causes, timing, personalities and nature of the mistake, you may recognize that the mistake was simply unavoidable, but you might also be able to use that information to react differently during the process and thereby reach a different result.