Everyday Canvas

Success vs Failure

Prompt: Success vs Failure
Do you learn more from your successes or from your failures? How do each affect your mood?

------------

I have to think it must be a rare person or a masochist who likes failures better than successes. Failure often brings disappointment, frustration, and a fear of inadequacy. On the other hand, success brings validation and a sense of accomplishment.

Yet, the crossing line between success and failure isn't always clear and the lessons learned from each can be equally valuable. Speaking for me, I try not to focus too much on either success or failure. For one thing, both result in fleeting emotions and even in iffy life situations. Then, when it comes to failure, I learned a thinking trick to treat it as a probable success underdone. Also, when it comes to success, I don't seek it consciously, but if it happens on its own, I treat it as a temporary delight. Call me chicken, but this way, I can hold my own power over these two extremes.

A common idea is that people learn more from failures than they do from successes. Failures force individuals to confront their shortcomings, reevaluate their strategies, adapt to unforeseen challenges, and develop their problem-solving skills. Failures can also lead to bad moods and prolonged unhappiness, and in some cases, to suicides.

Whereas success, with its temporary feelings of delight, can sometimes mask the underlying weaknesses and can blind people to their opportunities for growth and innovation. It can also turn them into heartless, selfish people who can and do commit crimes on their quest to achieving more success. Yet, as a counterpoint, success can also encourage people to work toward gaining more success by leading them to improve themselves and gain more confidence.

Just like the two poles on our planet, success and failure are the two extremes, and in this way, they are equals in their chill factor as both have their ways of harming people. Still, they shape our journey through life and hopefully, more often than not, they are successful in influencing our mental and emotional growth in positive ways.


.