It is a good thing to learn caution by the misfortunes of others.

Some lessons can be bought at full price and some can be watched from a safe distance. When a colleague misses a deadline or a friend signs a contract they later regret, the whole mechanism is laid out in front of you at no cost to yourself. Most people watch and feel sympathy without ever converting what they saw into a rule for their own conduct.

Think of one thing that went badly for somebody near you this year. Name the specific decision that started it, then check whether you are set up to make the same one. Change the setup rather than only your intention.