After a mistake, it is easy to focus entirely on why it happened.

After a mistake, it is easy to focus entirely on why it happened. It also helps to ask what you can repair now. Name the specific mistake without making excuses or treating it as a verdict on your whole character. If someone else was affected, acknowledge that impact and offer a realistic step to put things right where possible. Then consider one small change that could help next time. You cannot change the past, but your next action can show what taking responsibility means in practice.