Stubbornness is also determination. It's simply a matter of shifting from "won't power" to "will power." — Peter McWilliams. American author and activist (1949–2000)
Mistakes, obviously, show us what needs improving. Without mistakes, how would we know what we had to work on?
In reality, serendipity accounts for one percent of the blessings we receive in life, work and love. The other 99 percent is due to our efforts.