Why Do We Keep Making the Same Mistakes—And How Can We Stop?

Nearly all of my clients, at one point or another, feel confused and at a loss as to why the natural way their brain wants to solve a problem or handle a situation doesn’t get them the result they want.

I know that feeling all too well. And from an evolutionary and neuroscientific standpoint, it makes total sense.

For most of human history, we were able to use the knowledge we gained directly from our surroundings, communities, and storytelling to build our intuition, which served as a reliable guide. Today, however, we've built an exceedingly complex world that surpasses our understanding, yet we attempt to navigate it with a brain designed for a vastly different era.

Evolution hasn’t kept pace with civilization’s rapid transformation. While our environment has changed dramatically over the past 10,000 years (a blip in time from an evolutionary standpoint), the fundamental structure of the human brain remains largely the same as when we first developed agriculture and started domesticating animals. This mismatch between our ancient brain and the modern world is sometimes referred to as the "evolutionary lag or mismatch" or "Stone Age brain” in a digital world.

When you pause and consider this larger context, it’s no surprise that we make predictable errors, both in abstract reasoning and in the practical choices that shape our lives.

This is one reason why having a set of what are called “self-authored cognitive skills,” “thinking strategies,” or intellectual tools, is crucial — resources we can develop and regularly use, with intention, to wade through the challenges we face in our lives and at work. These tools help us perceive the world more objectively and make wiser long-term decisions; examples include, values-based decision-making, Socratic questioning, holding perspective, and expanding the time horizon, to name just a few. 

One of the processes I use with my clients is building their presence — a grounded awareness in a given situation — so that they can see the current moment with a fresh lens. With presence, you have a fighting chance to cultivate awareness, so that you can actually see the full range of choice available to you. And with that clarity of choice, you can ultimately make the behavior change you’re seeking. The adage is true: you can’t change what you don’t see. 

With daily practice of these principles, you can refine your thinking and even reshape your brain, thanks to neuroplasticity — or the concept that your brain isn’t fixed or hardwired, it’s adaptable and can change throughout your life.

Without these intellectual tools our world is clouded, we experience unnecessary suffering, and take action out of line with our beliefs and values — and even our best interests. The best leaders have honed this powerful yet hidden skill. As knowledge workers and simply human beings, we owe it to ourselves and our communities to do the same.