Defining Success.

What is Success?

To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people

and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics

and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty;

To find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by

a healthy child, a garden patch

or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed

easier because you have lived;

This is to have succeeded.

I have loved this poem since the day I first read it in middle school. I've always thought I've had a good handle on the sentiment Emerson was trying to convey in his renowned poem, until today. Today is the day I gained a completely new perspective on success.

 

There is a kid in my fifth grade class that I spend a lot of time with in just about every subject. He constantly needs me to read things to him, spell words for him, explain math problems to him, etc. On top of this, his attention span is at most a half of a second. Needless to say, it's really hard getting him to focus and I have worked and worked trying to find creative ways to reach him. Today - I think I did it. The fifth grade reading teacher gave me a list of vocabulary words to go over with him. So I led the boy out of the classroom with full anticipation of pulling my hair out within five minutes. I could already tell he wasn't looking forward to going over these sixteen words and truth be told, neither was I. But I was determined to get through it. I wanted to see just a glimpse of understanding in his eyes. Because of this determination, we got through every word, but not in the usual way. We drew a picture or danced or acted out each and every one of them.  Maybe learning the word choreographer seems like a small feat, but today is the stepping stone. I got what I wanted. I got my glimpse of understanding. I caught his interest and made him want to learn more. That was the real accomplishment.  

 

I've wondered in the last two and a half months, if I am living up to my potential.  I have dreams of changing the world. I keep wondering what I could have done in this time off from school, if I would have put more effort forward. However, I stopped wondering today. I took a year off to discover things about myself and I definitely have learned a lot already. Today, my perspective took a turn. I don't have to change the entire world or even the entire nation.  Afterall, doesn't change start on a more intimate and individual level? Maybe it even begins with something so small as learning what one new word means.