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In some rare cases the mistake can lead to consequences from which there is no return, think of something as serious as being a drunk driver and accidentally killing a kid or mom because you were inebriated after drinking at a bar and thought you could “make it” home okay. There are some instances where you should be able to make the right judgement without requiring a previous mistake and once those mistakes are committed you may get redemption and experience but at a horrible price.
One thing that we all should do is reduce “reactionary” responses and take just a few seconds extra to think about the proper reaction or response to a situation, just a few seconds of extra thinking time can make the difference between a good decision and a bad one. Take a moment to ponder the cause and effect of different decisions and actions to see if you can mentally role play what would be the best scenario or response to a situation.
I am guilty of sometimes reacting too quickly, irrationally and more often than not I have to retract a reaction, respond to it in a different way because I didn’t spend enough time thinking about the cause/effect before reacting. In my own experiences they are more likely to be things regarding conversations, words used in a sentence or the way I articulated something incorrectly. I am a far better writer or when I have time to prepare what I want to convey than when I am just conversing sometimes (or in an argument).
“Think before you speak” is a good saying.
-Justin Germino