Success or failure is too vague to argue and everyone has their own standard for it. It was the accumulation of their experiences, environment, and how they grew up. For example, for someone who is raised in a family with an academic background, it is important for them to achieve the highest educational degree. There was another example of someone who rose in an unwealthy family, if they can break through their poverty they call it a success, even if they did not have a high educational degree.