Your mistakes don’t need a funeral. Give them a debrief and move on.

CREATIVITY

WHAT THIS MEANS

Mourning an error at length feels like taking responsibility and mostly just extends the damage. The useful part takes about fifteen minutes: what happened, what you would do differently, who needs to know. Everything after that is rumination dressed as conscience. Guilt that keeps running does not repair anything and quietly makes you worse at the next attempt.

Set a limit on how long you will think about it, and keep to it. Write the three lines, tell whoever needs telling, and then close the file. If it resurfaces at night, remind yourself the review is already done.

A QUESTION TO SIT WITH

How long do you mourn errors before reviewing them properly?

MORE IN GROWTH, CHANGE & REINVENTION

Free, with nothing to buy inside it.