Day 37: Learning from Past Mistakes

Errors are stepping stones to the truth. – Seneca

Reflection

You've shipped bugs.
You've chosen the wrong design.
You've lost hours chasing the wrong fix.

And when it happens, it gets under your skin.
But it's part of the work.

A mistake points to the edge of what you know.
That's not failure. That's your next lesson.

It shows you where your habits cracked under pressure.

Seneca said they lead to the truth.
He wasn't being poetic. He was being precise.

Mistakes don't block the path.
They draw it.
But only if you slow down and study what they're trying to show you.

Anyone can fix the bug.
Sound engineers ask what caused it.
What did you skip?
What did you assume?
What would stop it from happening again?

That habit builds something you can trust in the code and yourself.

A mistake won't stop your growth.
Ignoring it will.

Look back without blame.
Learn what happened.
That's how you build judgment that shows up when it matters.

Pick a Decision That Costs You - Don't look away if something slows you down, clouds your thinking, or leaves a mark.
Trace It Back - Slow down and walk through what happened. Were you rushing? Skipping steps? Are you making assumptions you never confirmed? Call out what broke it.
Add a Guardrail - Put something in place to catch it next time. It could be a test. It could be a checklist. It may be slowing down before you commit. The change doesn't have to be big. It just has to stick.

How many of your best skills came from mistakes you didn't hide from?

What would shift if you treated every misstep like a signal?

The code gets better when the developer gets sharper.
And that starts when you stop looking away.