The damage starts after the mistake

A mistake, or plain bad luck, rarely does much harm on its own. The real harm comes from the choices we make next, each one made to cover for the last.

A painter in Jeddah books two families for the same Thursday morning. Instead of calling one of them to offer the afternoon, he hides the clash and rushes his helpers to the second home without enough dust sheets. When paint lands on the sofa, he tells the family it was already there. One double booking turns into three worse choices in a single day.

Each of those choices felt like fixing the problem. Really, each one was a way to avoid admitting the first one was wrong.

That is why it is so hard to stop while it is happening.

But the first mistake is already done. Every choice after it is a new one, and you make it knowing more than you did before.

You can see what went wrong and what it is costing you. You may see options you missed an hour ago. That puts you in a stronger position than when you started, not a weaker one.

So when something goes wrong, treat the next decision as new, not as a chance to defend the last one.

You know more now than when you made the mistake, so decide like someone who does.