The lost concept in anecdotes like this is opportunity cost; he was rejected from all those art schools and found success -- by some definition -- in going to NYC. The implication in the story is that success is binary, that you achieve it or you don't.
But he may've switched to advertising at any of those other schools. Or he may have stayed in fine arts and enjoyed even greater success that he can't even dream of now. But those opportunities were lost in favor of the path he took instead (whether by choice or not).
Arguably, if you end up happy and without regrets, you DID succeed. But not everyone has that same metric, and depending on your dreams there's a wide spectrum of possibilities. Being happy doesn't mean you couldn't have been even happier otherwise.
But he may've switched to advertising at any of those other schools. Or he may have stayed in fine arts and enjoyed even greater success that he can't even dream of now. But those opportunities were lost in favor of the path he took instead (whether by choice or not).
Arguably, if you end up happy and without regrets, you DID succeed. But not everyone has that same metric, and depending on your dreams there's a wide spectrum of possibilities. Being happy doesn't mean you couldn't have been even happier otherwise.