Learn to fail or fail to learn Tal Ben-Shahar More Quotes by Tal Ben-Shahar More Quotes From Tal Ben-Shahar Attaining lasting happiness requires that we enjoy the journey on our way toward a destination we deem valuable. Happiness is not about making it to the peak of the mountain nor is it about climbing aimlessly around the mountain; happiness is the experience of climbing toward the peak. Tal Ben-Shahar being-happy happiness inspirational Failure is an inescapable part of life and a critically important part of any successful life. We learn to walk by falling, to talk by babbling, to shoot a basket by missing, and to color the inside of a square by scribbling outside the box. Those who intensely fear failing end up falling short of their potential. We either learn to fail or we fail to learn. Tal Ben-Shahar squares successful fall Our behavior toward others is often a reflection of our treatment of ourselves. Tal Ben-Shahar treatment behavior reflection Perfectionism and optimalism are not distinct ways of being, an either-or choice, but rather they coexist in each person. And while we can move from perfectionism toward optimalism, we never fully leave perfectionism behind and never fully reach optimalism ahead. The optimalism ideal is not a distant shore to be reached but a distant star that guides us and can never be reached. As Carl Rogers pointed out, ‘The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination Tal Ben-Shahar good-life stars moving Incremental change is better than ambitious failure. . . .Success feeds on itself. Tal Ben-Shahar incremental-change success-failure ambitious We can only learn to deal with failure by actually experiencing failure, by living through it. The earlier we face difficulties and drawbacks, the better prepared we are to deal with the inevitable obstacles along our path. Tal Ben-Shahar obstacles path faces When you appreciate the good, the good appreciates. Tal Ben-Shahar positive-psychology psychology appreciate There are some people who always feel happy. They're called psychopaths Tal Ben-Shahar psychopath feels people Happiness is the overall experience of pleasure and meaning Tal Ben-Shahar pleasure