3 Ways to Interpret Failure and Success

Life has always seemed complicated to me. I saw that people who were very successful in the fields I was passionate about were not entirely content with their lives, as I was comparing myself to them.

Note: This article is taken from the writer "Onder Hasan", and he talks to us about the real concepts of failure and success.

Regardless of how I viewed it, I believed that others instinctively knew the secret to success and that I was ignorant of it.

The harder I worked, the more obstacles and failures I faced. I ended up feeling frustrated with everything. No matter how hard I tried, I found nothing but failure. I began to avoid opportunities around me and avoid friends who seemed to be making quick progress in their lives. My life was not going well, and I seriously wanted to change that.

I often wondered what these people do to have a successful life. I avoided answering, and I realized that I was often frustrated because of my excessive focus on achieving success without appreciating the small details that made a big difference in my life.

The fact that many successful people are unsatisfied with their lives made me reconsider what success and failure are. Were these people successful? Or did I label them based on my definition of success? 

Success is a subjective concept that differs from one person to another. What one person might consider a success another person might find unimportant, and vice versa. As a result, we have to acknowledge that interest is the leading cause of frustration and facing obstacles.

One of the most important things I learned from the beginning of my journey is that the more I cared about the goal, the more I feared failure and worked harder. The more I worked, the more interested I became in my goal.

I went into a vicious cycle of growing anxiety and frustration as a result. I used to become so afraid of not reaching my goals that I would get frustrated immediately if I didn't advance quickly enough. It gave me valuable lessons and made seeing why other people succeed easier.

3 Ways to Interpret Failure and Success

Here are three ways to interpret failure and success:

1. Indifference law

I soon realized that people who succeeded in the fields I loved were not concerned about the final result and engaged in their activities for fun. I realized that the energy and motivation to succeed does not stem from will alone but also from the passion and joy that I noticed in the lives of every successful person I met.

2. Making an effort

Unless we put in the required effort, we won't feel that anything we do matters or is entirely satisfactory to us. Some of the most miserable successful people grew up in successful families that paved the way for them without making any personal effort. This fact made me realize that most things lose their pleasure when we get them effortlessly. After understanding that fact, I began to look at failure and obstacles completely differently.

3. Enjoying the journey

Before encountering difficulties and failure, I was an entirely different person. I was quiet and shy, and I frequently avoided public speaking out of concern for the opinions and criticism of others. However, repeatedly facing failure over the past five years has empowered me to grow, improve, and give my best. The more challenging experiences I went through, the easier it became over time. My journey, growth, and experiences while pursuing my goal grew more significant to me than the goal itself.

In Conclusion

Are you living your life the way you want? The outcomes above were all the result of my interactions with individuals who appeared to be leading the happiest lives, not because they were successful but rather because their lifestyles were in line with their principles and identity. They also encountered challenges, but they seemed unaffected by them, viewing them as a normal part of life and a necessary part of the journey.

We are the ones who decide whether obstacles help or hurt us. The most crucial thing is to start viewing your life as an adventure and change your perspective so that you stop focusing on the obstacles.