“The measure of success isn’t if you have a tough problem, but whether it’s the same one you had last year.”– John Foster Dulles
Sometimes, a simple statement contains so much wisdom.
- It’s okay to fail. In fact, fail fast.
- It’s okay to have problems, but make sure you address them when they pop up.
- Notice that there’s no mention of outside help. Results are important, not necessarily how exactly a problem is solved.
- Efficient is good too. This is obvious, but it is not nearly as critical as actually fixing what’s wrong. Someone who can get things done with less is, in theory, more valuable; but in reality, not that many people can quantify and measure the difference.
- It’s okay that the problem is tough to solve. In fact, some problems are tough by design. If every solution is trivial, we will start categorizing the easier problems tougher, because everything is relative.
But How Do You Succeed?
Let’s be honest. Some people are just more gifted. They are smarter, think more quickly, and seem more resourceful. You can’t change your naturally born talent, but you can improve by experimenting.
- How do people know the answer of 1+1? Because they were told the answer ahead of time.
- How do people know how to find the lowest cost? Because they have tried different ways and found the method to get that price.
- How do people understand that their emotions usually wreak their investment performances? Because, in addition to being told on sites such as this one, they have lost money.
Talent is talent, but nothing beats real world experiments and experiences.
“If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward” – Thomas Edison
We say failing often, but there are actually no failures in trying. Failure happens when you don’t try, because you gained nothing. When you attempt at anything, you are at least learning whether you like to try again or not. If you choose to pursue it, you already know one way that hasn’t worked.
Thomas Edison arguably invented one of the most important product of all time. He might have been smart. He might have had lots of help. He might have been blessed, and he might have been lucky. But for sure, he was determined to succeed. He never failed, because he never saw it that way.
You can succeed too.