Your life does not change permanently as a result of some once-off epiphany - you've got to work at changing your life every day. Your default state of mind ensures that, even if you think you've learned your lesson, you will always revert to type. Therefore, once you've decided to change your behaviour, your reality and your life for the better, you're going to have to follow through - every single day. Otherwise, you could end up worse off than you were in the first place.