"Success"

Success gives us a lift. It makes us soar. That can be the effect when we REALIZE we have been successful. Gaining the full benefit of our successes requires us to take a few minutes and reflect on the success we created. Recognizing, “Wow, I did a great job.”, “I was not sure I could pull this off and I did”, “I learned something different this time”, or “Look how many items I crossed off my list this week!” Success raises confidence, identifies strengths and creates fun. Assisting children in recognizing the aspects of success broadens their perception of success and improves their ability to create more success. The guidance is simple and can take the form of a few questions.

For example:
“What did you like best about this experience?”
“Were you expecting it to happen the way it did?”
“What do you think you did that helped it to happen that way?”,
and
“How do you feel about his experience?”

There can be many levels of success. There are occasions when a situation does not bring the desired outcome, yet there may be aspects of success within that experience. Children benefit from guidance to realize aspects of success even when it was not the outcome they had in mind.

For example:
“You did not get the A you studied for, yet you discovered how much discipline you have”,
“You are right, you did not learn to ride your bike the first try, yet you are learning all about your balance”,
or
“You did not win like you hoped, yet you learned all your friends support you whether you won or not.”

During this hectic time of another school year ending, allow yourself to reflect on the varied aspects of success you enjoyed; assist your child to recognize the varied aspects of success they enjoyed this school year – large and small. Look for the varied levels of success so as to not become like the deep-sea fisherman who spends his life fishing for minnows while standing on a whale.