Why Do You Keep Making the Same Mistakes?
People tend to repeat mistakes for a few reasons, and it’s something that’s pretty common in human behavior. Here are a few key factors:
Habit & Comfort:
Sometimes, people fall into patterns that feel familiar, even if they’re not the best choices. Breaking habits takes conscious effort and time, and some people may not even realize they’re repeating the same mistake.
Emotional Reactions:
People often act based on emotion rather than logic in the moment. For example, if someone has a quick temper or tends to procrastinate when stressed, they might make similar mistakes because they’re acting out of emotion instead of thought.
Lack of Reflection:
Sometimes, people don’t take the time to reflect on what went wrong. If they don’t analyze their mistakes, they’re likely to repeat them.
Cognitive Bias:
We all have biases that influence our decisions. For instance, the “sunk cost fallacy” is when someone continues doing something simply because they’ve already invested time or energy, even if it’s not working.
Fear of Change:
Even when people know they’re making mistakes, change can feel daunting. It can be easier to stick with what’s familiar, even if it’s not the best path.
External Pressure:
Sometimes mistakes are repeated because people are influenced by others, whether that’s peer pressure, societal expectations, or following an example set by someone else.
Are there specific types of mistakes you’re thinking about? Sometimes certain situations, like relationships or work, bring out patterns of repetition.
Everyone experiences the situation of repeating their errors despite making firm resolutions to avoid them. The situation creates intense frustration. The issue might extend beyond human willpower or personal limitations.
What if the problem stems from something fundamental that exists within the spiritual realm? The Bhagavad Gita presents a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna which provides explanations for our repetitive patterns and techniques to achieve liberation from them.
Your Mistakes Are Not Accidents—They’re Patterns
Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I knew better, but I did it again”? That’s not weakness—it’s wiring. The Bhagavad Gita explains this through the idea of samskaras—mental impressions left by past actions.
Krishna says in Chapter 6, Verse 5:
One must uplift oneself by one’s own mind. Do not let the self be degraded.” Each time you repeat a thought or behavior—like procrastinating, reacting in anger, or falling into self-doubt, you deepen that groove in your mind.
Over time, this becomes your default response. Modern neuroscience echoes this: around 95% of your actions are driven by your subconscious mind, according to the National Science Foundation. So, when you keep slipping into the same mistake, your mind isn’t failing—it’s following old instructions.
You’re Not Lazy or Angry—You’re Influenced by Rajas and Tamas
The Gita teaches that all human behavior is governed by three gunas or energies: Sattva (clarity, harmony), Rajas (restlessness, desire)and Tamas (inertia, ignorance). When Rajas dominates, you act out of impulse and overdrive. When Tamas rules, you delay, avoid, or numb out. Mistakes tend to happen when we’re stuck in these two modes.
Think about it
You lash out, then regret it? That’s Rajas. You shut down and avoid action? That’s Tamas.
Krishna’s solution is not punishment—it’s purification. He encourages you to cultivate Sattva—through calm, discipline, and conscious effort. And there’s science behind it: A Harvard study found that decisions made in emotionally charged states are wrong 76% of the time.
Ego Makes You Repeat What You Know Is Wrong
In Chapter 3, Verse 27, Krishna states: All actions are performed by the modes of nature. But the one who is deluded by ego thinks, ‘I am the doer.’
Here’s the trap:
You think you’re in control, but really, your ego is running the show. The ego loves to defend your flaws. This is just who I am, I always mess things up. and People like me never change. These aren’t truths. They’re excuses—built by the ego to avoid discomfort and growth.
Psychologists call this labeling bias—when you define yourself by your errors, you unknowingly invite them back in. The Gita tells you to stop clinging to this false identity. You’re not your past. You’re not your pain. You’re the witness—and you can rewrite the script.
Karma Is a Cycle—But You Can Break It
Karma is often misunderstood. It’s not punishment for something you did in a past life—it’s the momentum of your current behavior. Every time you repeat a mistake, you reinforce a karmic loop. It’s not fate, it’s familiarity. And until you become conscious of it, your mind will choose the familiar over the right. Breaking the cycle starts with one decision: Stop reacting. Start observing.
The Gita’s Tools to Stop Repeating the Same Mistakes
The Gita doesn’t just tell you what’s wrong—it shows you how to heal
Train the Mind
In Chapter 6, Verse 26, Krishna says: “Whenever the mind wanders, bring it back under the control of the Self.” This is mindfulness—pure and simple. It’s the beginning of true freedom.
Act Without Ego
Don’t let failure make you quit. Krishna teaches Karma Yoga: Do the right thing without attachment to the result. Let go of “what if” and “what happened.”
Use Wisdom as a Mirror
Self-awareness is your most powerful weapon. When you understand why you act a certain way, the pattern loses power. The Gita calls this Gyana Yoga—the path of knowledge that lights the dark corners of your mind.
You’re not doomed to repeat yourself. You’re simply asleep to the forces within you. The Bhagavad Gita doesn’t blame you—it wakes you up. And once you’re awake, the cycle can end.
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