A mistake paid for twice is expensive; once can be tuition.

The first time you make a mistake, you bought something with it. The second time, you paid again for a thing you already owned. That distinction is worth taking seriously, because it is where the difference between experience and repetition lies.

Keep some record of the mistakes you have paid for, informal but real, and glance at it when you are about to make a similar decision. Treat a first error gently and a repeat as a signal to change something structural. The goal is not perfection but not buying the same lesson twice.