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Reference: R: Principles by Ray Dalio
Your life is a game in which each problem you face is a puzzle you need to solve to grow. By solving those problems, you have an opportunity to get a gem, a principle that can help you to avoid this problem in the future (pain + reflection = progress).
The more problems you face and the more principles you derive, the smoother the progress will be. Therefore, you must be radically open-minded and recognize that all problems are improvements screaming at you.
Most successful people make many mistakes, but what makes them different from the ordinary is that they learn from them.
The majority of mistakes are manifestations of their root causes, which you should always strive to find. A root cause is always a reason (why?) of the problem and usually is an adjective. You can get to the root cause by repeatedly asking 'why.'
You should never stop improving your principles (life). They connect your values to your actions. They are a compass that guides you through the walks of life. Write your principles down and perfect them every time you face a problem.
Relevant notes:
PN: The growth mindset: The growth mindset makes you treat problems as something positive because they are the stepping stones to growth.
PN: Error is a key to creativity: You should treat errors as something positive because they lead to greater creativity and development.
PN: You can turn any misfortune into good fortune: Feeling bad about problems, won't change anything. Instead, you can change your reaction to them and treat them positively, as each misfortune is an opportunity to derive a new principle.
Growth Mindset. It's about knowing that each experience, no matter if it's a success or failure, has within it potential learning. Those who can extract learnings from most of their experiences are the ones who grow the fastest. Furthermore, having such a mindset can be a remedy to negative emotions because basically everything becomes positive.
P: Problems contain a gem that can help you grow: Each problem is an opportunity to derive a life principle from it.
P: Problems contain a gem that can help you grow: Dalio has another approach to principles. He treats them as mental models derived from learnings based on mistakes, failure, and pains he's meeting.
P: Problems contain a gem that can help you grow: each problem/mistake/error has within it a potential to be converted into a life principle that makes you smarter.