Success

We live in a world of 140 character tweets, 6.5 second vine clips, and emoticons. Everything we think or feel and want to share with the world must be distilled down to its purest form - its essence - so that our followers, viewers, and friends will know what we are experiencing the instant they view our post.

Within this instantaneous world, I am working with students toward success - their success as well as my own success. I am working on both because they are inextricably intertwined.  I measure my own success in challenging questions a student is finally acting bold enough to ask, connections between concepts that students uncover on their own, and "aha" moments when a student's eyes light up with sudden and deep understanding.

I measure my own success also through difficult questions that my own children are confident enough to ask me. I measure my success in aching muscles after a workout, a tidy home after a family clean-a-thon, and the laughter of friends. I measure my success in kind acts between myself and my partner - who really is my very best friend. I measure my success in compassionate thoughts and acts, sticky hugs from my nieces, moments observing the beauty and wonder of nature, and hours of chatting with my siblings.

Success is achieving the goals you set for yourself, but success is also the journey between right now and reaching your goals. Take a quiet moment at the end of each day and ask yourself two questions:

Did I do the best I could with what I had today?
Did I take a step, big or little, toward my goals today?

If you can answer "yes" to these questions, you are on the path to achieve success. Do your best and strive for your goals everyday. Define success for yourself!

I have distilled my thoughts on success down to 1,612 characters, but my mind is still racing. There is so more to say and so much more that I feel, but we must all define success on our own, take ownership of success, and go out and get it!