In discussing the road to success, “Whether the failure of others becomes one's own stepping stone” is a question worth pondering. The answer is not a simple "yes” or "no”, but needs to be viewed dialectically from multiple dimensions. Here are a few key thoughts： --- ### **1. Competitive perspective: Failure may provide “opportunities”, but it may not be a "stepping stone”** In a competitive environment with limited resources, the failure of others may indeed make room for you (such as workplace promotion, business market share). But pay attention： -**The boundary between opportunity and utilization**: If you passively accept the opportunities brought about by the failure of others (such as the strategic mistakes of competing companies), this is the law of the market; if you actively create or gloat over the failure of others, you may fall into a moral dilemma. -**Be wary of survivor bias**: Success is often attributed to "seizing the opportunity of others to fail”, but ignoring that many losers were also “stepping stones for others." This perspective may mask the value of one's own efforts. --- ### **2. Cooperative perspective: The failure of others may be an opportunity for ”common growth"** Success is not a zero-sum game. Breakthroughs in many fields depend on collaboration, not single-handedly.： -**Learn from failure**: The failure experience of others can become your warning and knowledge base to help you avoid risks. This is a more sustainable "stepping stone”. -**Repair and win-win**: If you help others stand up from failures (such as making up for omissions in teamwork), it is possible to build trust and form a long-term win-win relationship. --- ### **3. Moral perspective: How to view the failures of others and define your success** - **Stepping stones vs stumbling blocks**: If you regard the failure of others as a resource that "must be used”, it may breed arrogance, shortsightedness, or anxiety; if you regard it as a warning or a learning object, you can maintain a humble and growth mentality. -**The connotation of success**: If success is based on “crushing others” as the standard, you need to constantly look for “stepping stones” and fall into endless competition; if you aim at self-breakthrough and value creation, the success or failure of others has nothing to do with yourself, you only need to focus on your own path. --- ### **4. Long-termism: true success is based on "sustainability”** -**The risk of relying on the failure of others**: If success depends on the mistakes of others, your own risk resistance is weak. Once the environment changes (such as the reduction of competitors), the advantage may be lost. -**Build core capabilities**: Through continuous learning, innovation and accumulation of resources, success will be based on its own irreplaceable value, not external fluctuations. --- ###**Summary: Stepping stone or mirror? ** The failure of others may provide you with temporary opportunities, but if it is regarded as a necessary condition for success, it may distort values and limit the pattern. **A healthier perspective is**： -Treat the failures of others as a mirror from which to reflect on one's own shortcomings； -Turn competition into a motivation for self-iteration, rather than dependence on the situation of others； -In the pursuit of goals, not only maintain a keen sense of market smell, but also stick to the bottom line and empathy. The true path to success is not to step on the “corpse” of others, but to create value and take responsibility, so that you can become the light that others are willing to follow.