There are so many people in the world who believe that in order to be happy, peaceful and in control, it is necessary to have success. They also believe that failure leads to sadness, disappointment, loss and lack of fulfilment.

In my career, I have come to learn something that some of you may already know and something that some of you have never realised. In order to achieve true fulfilment in our careers or journey through life, there are two very important pieces that allow this process to occur. These two pieces are both success and failure.

Let’s take a quick look at success first. Success is perceived to be more positive than negative. It is associated with pleasure, instead of pain and it’s what people strive to achieve.

Failure, on the other hand, is perceived to be more negative than positive. It is associated with pain, instead of pleasure and it’s what people want to avoid.

Why is that we only see success as positive and we only view failure as negatives? From what I know, everything that exists within the universe has two sides. All traits, actions, inactions and more. Nothing is just one sided. If that’s true, which I am certain of, success is not just positive and failure is not just negative. That must mean that there are two sides to each of these concepts.

Have you ever considered or wondered that there might be lots of challenges of being successful and that it may not be as easy or as glamorous as it appears? Have you ever considered or wondered that there might be lots of lessons or opportunities to be gained from experiencing failures in your life, and that it’s not as bad as it may seem?

So, I leave you with some questions to ask yourself, that may be able to balance your perceptions of success and failure, and will leave you with a sense of fulfilment instead of the one-sided happiness or sadness.

1. Let’s say that you believe success is the answer to happiness, what would be all the downsides of being successful? How would it be a disservice to you? How would it hold you back? What pressures would it place on you? Answer this at least 50 times to balance out your infatuations or illusions you’ve had about success being the answer to happiness.

2. You may also believe that failure is the ultimate nightmare but what would be all the benefits of failing and having to try again? What would you gain from failing? How would failing serve you and push you forward? How would failing alleviate the pressures you’re faced with? Answer this at least 50 times to balance out the nightmares you’ve had about failing and it leading to sadness or disappointment.