Seems to me that the biggest mistake we all make is not knowing we’re making a mistake.

The karma of that action is summed up in any TV courtroom drama: “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.” We’re going to pay a price.

What laws are we breaking that we’re oblivious to? Too many to count.

So how do we home in on the mistakes we’re making that count the most? It’s easy. Look to where you are losing in life.

There is a trail of breadcrumbs that leads up to that loss. Do some reverse engineering on the loss and you will find a set of steps that lead you there. They are your mistakes.

The key to outgrowing mistakes is to recognize them and take steps away from repeating them.

A side road that will lead you away from discovering and owning your mistakes is to assign the blame for them to someone else. “If he/she hadn’t done that, I would have never found myself here.” That’s the statement of a person destined to continue to lose.

Another side road to keeping our mistakes in place is to defend them. It’s amazing to me how vociferously we argue for our limitations. That is always a losing argument.

As long as we draw breath, we will make mistakes. That’s right up there with death and taxes. So avoiding mistakes isn’t the goal; owning up to them is.

Once you own your mistake, the odds are in your favor that you’ll repeat it less often and increase your winning percentage.

Too proud to admit your mistakes? Don’t make me quote the bible as to what “goeth” before a fall. The good news is you don’t have to admit them to anyone but yourself. Own them and outgrow them. It’s a winning combination.

All the best,

John