Are We Doomed To Repeat the Same Mistakes Over and Over Again

Doomed or blessed?

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” According to this source, and many others, this quote is misattributed to Albert Einstein. Upon further inquiry, I couldn’t find out where it comes from though.

This quote sets the theme well. How many times as humans do we infuriate ourselves by repeating the same mistakes and lessons over and over again. And that’s only if we have any self-awareness that we can even recognize these patterns in the first place as well.

I for one, felt insane when I began to recognize the patterns and repeating mistakes in my life. I was shocked, and even more surprised to learn I was the common denominator in all of it too. It wasn’t just that I was unlucky, I was the cause.

When my awareness expanded to recognize my own role in causing these mistakes and patterns, I figured I wanted to set out to shift the energy ripples I was sending out into the universe.

But more importantly, before I could choose to try and change, I felt a great sense of doom in recognizing the groundhog day nature of my life and ways.

I thought I was that girl I had created in my mind.

Breakthroughs about situations, relationships, and my general life up until that point were reality shattering, but still, a welcome change from the numb monotony I experienced from being so caught up in these obstacles for so long. I have had my fair share of time spent feeling hopeless and like giving up.

In some ways giving up is what I needed to do too, but I spent a long time resisting.

For me, one of my main issues had been I was trying too hard at everything.

Working to prove every ounce of my worth, every second of every day.

Loving people like I owed them every part of me.

Fighting to feel I deserved space in the world.

All my efforts were driving me to repeat many disappointing and hurtful mistakes. All of my energy was being pushed outwards, I was mislead into believing it was my role to create harmony around me.

This is what ultimately caused great disharmony within me though. And all we can ever do is live through our own lens. We’re stuck with ourselves whether we like it or not.

“Wherever you go, you take yourself with you.” ― Neil Gaiman

From that point in my life of experiencing great internal disharmony, I had to question everything. I had to start again and ask myself questions I had never asked before.

Am I doomed to repeat the same things over and over again? I questioned.

Emotions came spilling out of me in ways I couldn’t control. I began purging all the toxic poisons I had consumed, the main hurtful one being my own self-deception.

I now see repeating the same patterns, mistakes, or toxic habits over and over again as opportunities. And as someone who has repeated many silly and stupid mistakes throughout my life, I have realized, with more awareness we can choose to see these repeating mistakes as a gentle guiding hand from the universe. We can choose to extend patience and gratitude to ourselves and recognize we are being helped to see where to put energy and effort by grander universal wisdom.

Perhaps the sense of doom we feel is because we are lacking self-compassion in the first place.

Maybe life isn’t only about breaking through our patterns and mistakes. Sure that’s something we can work towards and it can be incredibly freeing. But maybe it’s also about appreciating how we slowly, steadily evolve when these repeating mistakes re-surface to teach us things.

Plus although we may shift out of one harmful pattern, there will always be shadows we must seek out and confront, if growth is what we are after.

Repeating the same mistakes over and over again can sometimes be a blessing in disguise. It’s the universe’s way of saying “Hey look here, try something different this time.”

It’s a hint and a clue in what needs to change to grow.

In the particular situation for me, trying something different meant I was being asked to try less hard. To simply allow. To open up to change, to open up to the possibility my patterns were teaching me a lot, and to open my mind to learn to live differently.

Now when I look back on how I’ve repeated many mistakes and patterns throughout my life, I am grateful for all the data I have collected on myself in many ways. From this space of contemplation I have arrived at in my life, I can see how much wiser I have become. I have shifted a lot in simply recognizing these things about myself.

I don’t think we’re doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over again, I think we’re blessed too.

Every mistake is a new chance, a new opportunity. Not a reason to punish ourselves.

Developing self-awareness and self-love is key to creating new paths that diverge away from the mistakes we repeat again and again. And self-forgiveness is a soothing salve to heal self-critical habitual patterns.

As a human, repeating mistakes and patterns in many ways is inevitable, but also within this understanding there is a lot to learn and gain.

Think about it too, the more mistakes you make, the more chances to be kinder and more deeply connected you could become with yourself. Also the greater the levels of growth you can reach.

Enjoying the present is also one of those things, we humans often struggle to do and this in itself is a pathway out of the obstacle of self-punishment for repeating mistakes.

Yes, we will continue to repeat the same mistakes over and over again, we are human.

I refuse to believe this is negative or something to feel we’re doomed to do.

Empowering ourselves to see beyond that which we have ever known before is always an option we may turn to. Then It will become clear we are truly blessed to have so many opportunities and possibilities.