Tom Brady has always been known for his excellent NFL career, which some believe was perfect to a tee. But he would be the first to tell you it was far from that. Between Super Bowls and MVPs, Brady threw more than 250 interceptions, had 150 fumbles, and over 5,000 incomplete passes. And rather than brushing those off as “one-time” mistakes, he took accountability and worked through them. The question is, would you do the same?
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Brady says that he often notices people dismiss their mistakes as a one-off, and he believes that mindset can be harmful.
He finds this way of thinking problematic because it can lead to bad habits and a poor culture. It does not make anyone a bad person for thinking this way. But accepting that mistakes are part of life does not mean they should be ignored or left unaddressed. Brady even gave an example of this mentality in an NFL setting.
“It was just one play, one half, one game. It was just one missed tackle, one missed assignment, one missed signal,” Brady wrote in his weekly newsletter, 199, describing how players often brush off their mistakes.
The issue with this mindset, according to the GOAT, is that it can lower expectations for oneself. When that happens, striving for perfection is no longer the goal, and people settle for being just good enough. Before long, “good enough” starts to feel like a job well done.
In Brady’s view, the key to growth is eradicating this mentality.
“The problem with this approach is that it’s never just one. Especially when you have a support system full of people who love you and have your best interests at heart, but who also believe they are protecting you when they let you get away with excuses like this,” Brady pointed out, before adding,
“When they start to echo this ‘just one’ mantra, or they shun personal accountability by shifting blame to other people on the team, that’s when mistakes start to compound, and the disease of losing takes root.”
Almost everyone can sympathize with this idea. Especially when we’re around family and friends, we’re encouraged to look past our mistakes and accept them as part of life. The issue is that this lowers our standards and expectations of ourselves, which isn’t always a bad thing. However, it establishes a habit where, when we experience adversity, we run from it instead of addressing it.
That’s why Brady said that letting go of the “Just One” mentality would be a great New Year’s resolution for everyone.
“I never ran from my failures, and I never let them define me. You shouldn’t either. Instead, YOU define the failures–as chances to learn, as opportunities for growth, as the beginning of the next improvement cycle,” Brady wrote, before concluding. “If you’re still trying to figure out your New Year’s resolutions for 2026, I can’t think of a better place to start than right here.”
All in all, they were wise words coming from the GOAT of football. It may not always be fun and at times uncomfortable, but accepting our mistakes is the first step to fixing them. It takes a lot for a person to hold their hand up and voluntarily call themselves out. Growing up, we weren’t rewarded for that type of action.
However, as we get older, noticing when we’re making mistakes is almost just as important as fixing them. It’s easy to overlook them as parts of life when in reality, we can nip them in the bud at anytime. So, maybe this year your New Year’s resolution should be to recognize when and where you’re making mistakes in life, and take action against them immediately.
