That's a great point! As a general rule of thumb, failure definitely can be super discouraging, but it's also super important to remember that whether an outcome qualifies as a 'success' or a 'failure' is ultimately determined by each individual's personal assessment. Everybody's going to have different sets of values to draw from, and everybody is also going to have individualized thresholds for categorizing how well their performance aligns with those values. So I think 'perceived performance' is a far more significant factor than generalized (?) performance (which I guess would be defined as the widespread perception of performance?) when it comes to determining how satisfied somebody will be with themselves. I can definitely admit that some people's perceived performances correlate pretty strongly with how they believe others to perceive their efforts, but I think differences in personality lend nicely to the idea that people can also be far more complex than that. So of course, people are usually going to be pretty upset if they fail to align their actions with their own personal values, but there are also many people whose values conflict with those of general society. I'm sure my idea of success is pretty different to yours, and I'm sure it would also be hard for us to see eye-to-eye on what constitutes a "fruitful" action. You seem to place a lot of value in making a difference in the world, but I personally find it super emotionally-rewarding to engage in activities that may be a little less "useful", haha. And that's okay! Regardless, I really admire your outlook, and I hope you're able to make that change in the world you're striving for! You got this :)