What is the most discouraging thing you've tried that actually ended up succeeding in?

Recently...trying to start a fire with a knife and flint while everyone said I couldn't do it and laughed at my attempts. I got the last laugh when I DID do it....It took over an hour, but I did it, lol. And NOW I can do it quickly because I've learned about the best things to use for tinder. That was my problem the first time. Yes, it inspired me in a few ways. For one thing, I learned to trust my gut. I wanted to use one thing for tinder and everyone else told me to use something else. In the end, what I wanted to use in the first place is what lit. Secondly, I learned that I'm a stubborn person. Despite bloody knuckles and a bunch of laughing asshats, I was the only one who managed to make a fire. So, it was good and it's an important skill to have.

Finishing my degree even though I was completely done with education after my first year and failed the second. I redid some work, put more effort into third year but I was still shocked when I passed.

Football. Sure, it was worth it... I had a great time.

Publically quitting the cult for a religion I was strictly raised into and being true to myself regardless of the cost. It hurt a lot but it was worth it and I have no regrets.

After my mother threw away my 364 pages of notes for my Master's thesis, I had to spend months recompiling the notes. (She put them in the dumpster at 6:30 AM minutes before the trash pickup, then waited with a smile on her face for me to wake up and miss them). I missed the graduation, had an embarrassing conversation with my thesis advisor, stayed in the program and months later, I had new notes to work from and I wrote my thesis, got the degree.

Dancing. I got put in ballet classes for 9 years and I ended up really liking it and being the best dancer out of the people I knew.