Achieve-Success loop 1
(Monday)
Context:
When we enter school, our grades become the focus of, and apparent indicator of our success. Using grades and test scores as the main if not the only indicator of progress and success can oftentimes skew our ability to define success for ourselves, and can cause us to ignore the development of non-academic essential work/life skills.
Success and happiness must be planned. You need to consciously lay the foundation for future success and happiness now. This means:
● Clearly identify what success means and looks like to you.
● Clearly understanding the difference between focusing on grades vs. focusing on learning.
● Understanding the power and importance of focusing on who you are as much as what you know.
What it is: As humans, we have the innate desire to understand where we are in relation to where we are going. It’s an intrinsic need to know what our next steps are, and how we are doing and progressing. But if we only focus on short-term feedback, we can lose sight of our true life goals and purposes.
To illustrate, imagine a person trying to walk from a bus stop to a store. While it’s important for them to watch where they step, if they focus solely on their next few steps and never look up to see where they’re actually heading, they might have difficulty reaching their destination.
Why it’s important: Employers know that good grades do not guarantee that a person has the essential soft skills (mindset, traits, qualities, habits, and attitudes) required to be an effective, productive, contributing employee.
On the other hand, as a student, if your sole focus is your GPA or getting into the college of your choice, without taking the time to really decide what your life goal truly is, or what type of person you want to be, you may find yourself in a job or industry that does not excite and inspire you.
You have your whole life ahead of you. Knowing what is truly important to you will help you determine what true success means to you. You don’t want to wake up one day in the future and realize that the life and job you are living is not a life and job that is satisfying and fulfilling.
Taking the time now to understand what’s important to you (family, relationships, community, causes), will allow you to set your life achievement goals accordingly.
Becoming aware of your ‘achieve success loop’ can also help you have a balanced view of your grades. Having a balanced view of your grades will help you stay positive about school and the learning process.
Primer Questions
When you think of success in life, what do you think of? What does success in life mean to you?
Finish the sentence: I know I’ll be successful when…
What does success in school look like?
Write down your answers and observations in your journal.
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True success means staying true to a deeper sense of purpose, despite deviating from a superficial social norm.
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Feedback loop.
In school, our primary feedback is our grades. Often, grades can become your sole focus in measuring your progress and success.
What else can you use to determine your growth, progress, and success in becoming educated for the future?
Watch the video.
Questions for reflection
What do you do to track your progress?
Do grades affect the way you view yourself in any way?
Do you like to talk about your grade point average (GPA), either way, why?
Write down your answers and observations in your journal, or discuss them with others.
There are many ways to define success.
Some view status gaining a specific job title or status as true success.
Some view having material wealth as an indication of success.
What do you think about the following? Write your thoughts in your journal:
Success can be as simple as being able to look at yourself in the mirror at the end of the day and feel good about what you accomplished that day. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes, but you learn and grow through the process.
What is success? How do you measure it?
Success means different things to different people. Therefore it is important that you begin to define what success means to you. Otherwise, all your hard work, effort, and stress will be invested in someone else's idea of success.
Who currently defines your idea of success? Social media? Your parents or culture? Your teachers and peers? Some say that success is achieving something that makes you feel good about yourself and helps others. Others feel they’ll be successful once they achieve a specific amount in their bank account.
Could your view of success change in the future if you don’t take the time to define it to some extent now? Write your thoughts on this question in your journal, then consider the following:
This couple is enjoying their 50th anniversary. The couple's three adult children and their spouses, along with 12 grandchildren organized the celebration in the couple's backyard.
This man did well in school and graduated from college with a degree. However, he didn't apply himself after he graduated. He never planned, or set goals and worked odd jobs when he needed money. Now, he often worries about how he will provide for his two children.
This person was not able to afford college. She developed her natural artistic talent and taught herself industry-standard graphic design tools. She now runs her own small business creating websites. The job pays her bills and she enjoys being her own boss.
This man has a bachelor's degree in engineering. After spending 30 years in the corporate world, he moved back to his hometown in Montana, bought a small place, and started selling his arts and crafts.
This man attended college for a year and a half but had to leave when his father suddenly passed away and he had to take over the business. He was never able to return to college to complete his degree. He was able to grow the local family business into an international company. He frequently travels abroad as part of his job as the company's CEO.
This person received their master's degree and holds a very high-paying job with tremendous responsibility. There are several days in the week when she cannot get home due to her workload before the kids go to sleep. The pressure and stress often keep her up at night.
This individual went to school and received a BA in English literature. Writing is his passion. While he earns a modest living by delivering packages during the day, he is doing what he always dreamed of doing; writing stories based on his childhood and teen years.
Metacognitive Assignment
From now until Wednesday, take note of what you value most. What traits and qualities in others do you value? Are material things extremely valuable to you?
Is status or popularity important? Do you want to make an impact, or solve some great problem? Is family important to you?
Take time this week, even write down, what success means to you. What will you need to do or become in order to feel successful?
Then imagine yourself in your late 60’s or 70’s. Looking back, what will you remember most? What do you imagine you will have valued most?
Thought of the day.
Success is experience. Success is a journey where we put forth the effort to make dreams come true.