If you fail and subsequently succeed, does that really mean that you have achieved what you strived for? In the two stories “Zero” by Paul Logan and “Too Much Mistake is Bad” by Roger von Oeches, in which both authors focus on the concepts of failure and success that go hand in hand. In life, sometimes you have to climb a mountain and face obstacles that might prevent you from achieving your goals. In my opinion, Logan's account to some extent represents von Oeche's concept that failure can lead to success. In von Oech's story, he used many tactics to demonstrate that failure can lead you to become a more successful person. One of the examples provided in the story was Carl, the first baseman for the Boston Red Sox. Many asked for Paul. It all started with being harassed. As a result, his self-esteem decreased and he stopped caring about school and everyone around him. When he entered college, he still had the same attitude: not making any effort to do homework or get good grades. Over time, he began to fail classes because he stopped showing up and turning in any schoolwork to receive some sort of grade. It didn't take long for him to drop out of college and find himself selling shopping cards at Sam's Club. “Having been yelled at by his supervisor while working at Sam's Club, he ran into some of his old high school friends (101). The embarrassment caused Paul to realize that the path he was on wasn't going to work for him and he wanted out. It was for this reason that he pulled himself together and entered a community college to prove to himself and others that he was capable of changing his life. He certainly didn't have it easy; he had to overcome many obstacles that were in his way in order to achieve his 4.0 GPA. Even failure, no matter how painful, doesn't have to be the end. It can be a learning experience, one that builds strength and provides direction. It can also serve as a wake-up call that turns a floating student into a serious one…. (logan 102).” Sometimes it takes a stranger to open our eyes so we can see who we are and what we want