Which One? Pick.

Success or Failure?

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Silly question, right?
The answer seems obvious.

We'd always choose success, equating it with pleasure and achievement.

But that's precisely why the universe hasn't made life foolproof.

True wisdom often comes from a place of foolishness and hardship.

We've tripped, stumbled, cried, struggled, and felt hurt in our foolish moments. Yet, these experiences have moved our needle forward, refining us along the way.

**An outcome becomes evident as our decisions materialise.

Here's what I mean.

Imagine making small daily decisions, like smoking for 30 days.

You might not notice immediate effects. However, if you continued this habit for 30 years, the negative impact would be clear.

Our choices accumulate over time, leading to significant outcomes.

Every decision contributes to an outcome, but the result isn't the only factor contributing to success or failure. It's shaped by our ongoing choices.

Similarly, Brené Brown's 'Marble Jar' concept illustrates how trust is built incrementally.

Brene Brown, a renowned researcher on vulnerability, courage, and trust, uses the Marble Jar concept to suggest that Trust is built slowly through small, consistent actions that add up over time.

For example, if someone is honest with you once, that doesn't mean they've gained your complete trust.

Adding more marbles to the jar increases the level of trust. Removing marbles decreases it.

Analogously, every action or decision contributes to a materialised outcome.

Neither success nor failure is a one-time activity. It requires consistent repetition.

Consider this story.

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Farmer & The Goose
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A farmer came to acquire a goose, but this was no ordinary goose. This goose laid golden eggs.

Every morning, when the farmer came to check on the goose, he'd find that it had laid a golden egg.

After some time, in his greed, he cut the goose open, thinking he'd take all the eggs altogether.

To his surprise, there were no golden eggs.

What was the farmer's success?

The farmer's perceived success might be buying more land, buying a bigger house, or upgrading to advanced machinery.

His success wasn't the material outcomes but his ability to nurture the goose, his resource—providing better quality food, housing, comfort, etc.

The continuation of such a process would have yielded more golden eggs.

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Think Process, Not Outcome

Your understanding of Success and Failure might be holding you back.

Here's one reason why.

Both words are what we deem as 'nominalisations'.

Process or verbs that have been turned into nouns.

When this happens, we treat the term as fixed, unchangeable, and static—as an object.

It's why people see success as an outcome.

They encapsulate the terms as a whole, tangible concept.

'Success and Failure is Dynamic'

Consider the following:

Verb: Succeed

Sentence: "She succeeded in completing the project on time."

This describes the process of achieving, which is ongoing and dynamic, making it more abstract.

Nominalisied Form: Success

Sentence: "Her success in the project was celebrated by the whole team."

This describes a tangible result that can be visualised as a specific achievement or a positive outcome.

Failure works precisely the same. Both are dynamic by nature.

When we treat it as an unchangeable term, we dismiss the process.

Shifting Our Perspective

Success is "the management of resources."

Failure is "the mismanagement of resources."

Next time you look up to your influencers, study how well they manage their resources; success is there.

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Marble Jar: Resource Management

Summary

1. Success and failure are ongoing processes, not static outcomes.
2. Small, consistent actions over time shape significant results.
3. Success is about managing resources effectively, not just achieving results.