There is no doubt that we here in America are success obsessed. In some ways it makes total sense. Everyone desires to see positive results from what we put our lives into. Not everyone measures it the same, but the desire remains. But in this frame, I'm focusing on the kind of success that we tie our self-worth and identity to. It is a problem-a big one.
I don't intend to unwrap the root cause of this success obsession. However, I want to point out how the problem blocks us from breakthroughs. Somewhere along the continuum, we bought some very expensive lies. For example, you understand what failure means in the land of of success obsession. It is to be avoided at all costs and you are to stay away from anything or anyone who has the unfortunate luck of experiencing it. This is a big mistake to make because the road to breakthrough is paved, in part, by failure.
What if failure is a house of experiements? What if failure is a refining fire for character and integrity? What if no true success can come without a significant amount of failure? I see great value in experiments, integrity and true success. This column from Sir James Dyson really sets a good tone on this.