Beware Of Externally Imposed Definitions Of Success

The word “success” is thrown around a lot today. When we discuss rethinking education, we discuss student success to the point it has become cliché. This is not do say we should not be considering success, but defining it is another beast entirely. Ten years ago when, as a superintendent, I was leading our schools through the strategic planning process, we adopted a definition of success. We adopted, and I still personally ascribe to the definition of Dr. Felice Kaufmann. She defined success as: “SUCCESS: Knowing what one wants in the world and knowing how to get it.” I love this because success is about each of us understanding what we want, not what is prescribed by someone else. Continuing my thoughts on education here I still believe we must help students find their own passions and interests and align those to values so they can define their own success. Then we facilitate going after that success.

I just finished the incredible book, Red Helicopter, by James Rhee. It really helped me sort out the concept of “success” even further. In the book Rhee explained that if we chase after externally imposed definitions of success, and you may find yourself feeling unfulfilled and disconnected rather than successful. This is genius! This idea of “externally imposed definitions of success” – think about how much we do this to ourselves, to others, and most importantly, our children.

James Rhee was cautioning against following society’s expectations of success without considering one’s own values and goals. He suggested that chasing after external definitions of success may lead to a feeling of emptiness and disconnection, rather than true fulfillment. It emphasizes the importance of staying true to oneself and finding personal fulfillment in one’s achievements. I believe we should consider that success looks different for all of us and it is not something we can graph with a straight line.

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