What is your biggest success and your biggest failure in your life?

[Bowens]

I know its difficult to narrow successes and failures down to just one thing, so feel free to list more than one if you like.

I dont like to dwell on failures myself, but it seemed like it might be a more interesting topic if people were asked where they have done well and where they feel like they did not. And it might spur more conversations.

My most recent biggest successes were spawned over the course of about 6 months. Including, getting a house on my own, with no financial assistance, getting married and entering the workforce again.

My biggest failures were probably around the time I developed sz. I was on track to be an electrician when sz hit. Had worked in the field for about 5 years and then I freaked out due to sz and lost the job. Quit my security job as well. I also had to sell the house I had at the time because I couldnt afford it.

So…theres mine. Or at least some of mine.

What are yours?

[everhopeful]

Biggest success:

Developing a career (in another country!) after failing to get my degree.

Biggest failure:

Failing to get my degree. I never got over it really.

[Trooper]

My biggest failure was dropping out of high school. My biggest success was graduating college.

[Aku2]

My biggest success is married to a girl who accept me as a schizophrenic. At the time of marriage she and her family didn’t know it.
My biggest failure is I didn’t qualify for a decent job.

[77nick77]

Failures:

I almost didn’t graduate high school

Between the ages of 17 and 19 I had about 16 different jobs and didn’t last more than three months at any of them. I got fired from half of them.

After I got diagnosed at age 19 I started working again at age 22 and had 15 more jobs but got fired from about 5 of them.

I don’t know if this counts a a failure but in 1996 I got addicted to crack and smoked it four years.

In 1983 I moved into supported housing and eventually got kicked out in 1988.

I was living in a studio in 1988 and got three months behind in rent and got kicked out.

I moved back into supported housing in 1989 and got kicked out 7 months later due to drug use.

I was renting a room in this couples house in 2015 and got asked to leave but it was a bad situation and they weren’t the best people.

Was living in supported housing in 2020 and threatened a lady and almost went to jail and almost got kicked out.

Successes:

In 1982 I got a job 9 months after an 8 months stay in the hospital and I stayed there four years.

In 1983 I moved out of a group home and into supported housing.

In the 1980’s I dated several women at different times, some of who are really good looking.

In 1990 I got clean and sober and got a girlfriend.

In 1990 I pulled out of a relapse and got a job and stayed there three years. I quit that job and got a job unloading trucks at Sears and was the best worker and stayed there four years.

Starting going to AA in 1990 and was really social for the next 5 years.

Got a job as a park ranger in 1999 and stayed there two years.

In 1996 I moved out of a board & care home and out on my own.

Lived independently from 1996-2015 in regular society, working and taking care of myself.

Lived by myself in a nice studio from 2008-2015.

Relapsed in 2015 and was in the board & care but moved out into supported housing in 2017.

Graduated college in 2022.

Been at my job since 2011; 14 years.

2 months ago I moved into my current studio by myself. It was a smooth move, I packed, rented a truck, hired a guy to help me and moved in.

If I had to pick my one greatest success it would be a tie between getting clean and sober and graduating college.

Biggest failure: Threatening that lady and almost getting arrested. I count it as my biggest failure because I was 60 years old at the time and should have known better than to do something so stupid.

[Hemy]

I don’t really have a greatest success or failure.

I’ve had failures that I thought were going to be the end of me, and successes I thought were going to set me up for life. Neither were true.

I have a lot of accomplishments, and a lot of failures.

I don’t even really like the term failure, because it’s more of a learning opportunity.

That’s not to say I don’t beat myself up when I fail at something, because I do. However, I realize a few months down the line that it wasn’t as bad as I thought.

In fact, I would argue that just about every failure I’ve had has opened me up for my next opportunity.

[TheLogician]

Kind of hard to identify my biggest success. Sounds morbid but probably not ending my own life. The most difficult things I’ve ever done are holding different jobs with schizophrenia.

Biggest failure is obvious. Drug use.. ■■■■■■ up my life as a kid and now there destroying my life as an adult.

[Rainstorm]

Biggest success is becoming an ultrasound technician

Biggest failure there are a bunch of those

[TheLogician]

Also just making it through a flare up is kind of an accomplishment. There’s no intention or strategy or any of the other factors that go in to achieving something but those days or weeks can be absolutely brutal. Making it through that has to count for something. I would love to see some kind of machine that could super impose an experience someone has had onto another persons mind for awhile. How long do you think a marine, or a combat athlete or any kind of tough person could stand the worst of what you’ve been through before tapping out?

[devra]

My biggest success was being a laboratory scientist, but my worst failure was skipping class so my GPA wasn’t high enough. I didn’t think I could get an internship to take the ASCP lab scientist exam. So I had to work in worse places.

[el_Jimbobbio]

Biggest success: being a good son, brother, nephew and uncle

Failed: not heeding advice early in my illness

[Mudd]

My biggest success was graduating college and getting into University and biggest failure was having to withdraw from it after a year. Their both interlinked.

[Joker]

Biggest success was graduating from university at age 26

Biggest failure was leaving school with no qualifications

The success cancels out the failure to some degree

If I had the time again I’d get a technical degree instead of liberal arts

However I found my degree very interesting and got a technical job any way

It fostered a point of view that’s rare in my field and it helps me a lot

[Wonderer]

My biggest success:

• kicking sz (or whatever I have) in the butt.
• having my daughter

My biggest failure:

• going to school for massage therapy for 2 years and never finishing/getting my license.

[Schztuna]

Biggest success:

• Graduating from university with a 3.3 GPA my final and most difficult semester

Biggest failure:

• Not using my university degree to its fullest capacity

[Wave]

Biggest Success- Saving my Mother in laws life. Her her heart stopped beating and I resuscitated her by performing CPR

Biggest Failure- Doing a hard drug (once) in college.
This action lead to multiple failures afterwards, including dropping out of college and never graduating

[Hadeda]

Biggest success: surviving schizoaffective and borderline (so far)

Biggest failure: not going to university, not having a career, not looking after my teeth, not getting my driver’s licence

[Jake]

One of my biggest successes is breaking a record in the shuttle run…. That had not been broken in 7 years. It was in elementary school but it still counts.

One of my biggest regrets is not trying when I played middle school soccer. I didn’t try because I was afraid of becoming conceited.

[jukebox]

biggest success…probably graduating in architecture, writing a book and staying married.
biggest failure…can’t think of any.

[flybottle]

Biggest failure: those times I let other people down.

Biggest success: my current PhD and everything that led to it (even though im not finished yet).