interviewing at startups despite past rejections, bidding on and winning freelance projects despite flakey clients in the past, competing in coding competitions

interviewing at startups despite past rejections, bidding on and winning freelance projects despite flakey clients in the past, competing in coding competitions despite the fact I'm not highly ranked, quitting a lucrative full-time job to pursue my own interests and grow as a person. Sometimes the above lead to uncomfortable feelings. However the mental and spiritual growth upsides always out-weigh the downsides.