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.
The Proof Of The Pudding Is In The Eating
As a person who lives by metaphor and idiom, I love that English is a language rich with imagery, meaning, and metaphor, and when we want to express ourselves we can draw upon a catalog complete with beautifully turned phrases, drawing from the language’s Latin, French, and Germanic roots. I was reminded of this last night when presented the most beautiful piece of cheesecake I had ever seen (see featured photo). When I said this, the person giving it to me said, “Well, the proof is in the pudding.” Then he immediately said, “What does that mean, anyway, the proof is in the pudding?” Umm…let’s see. I believe this might be an idiom.
So I guess this phrase originated in 1605 as a proverb that went, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” That actually makes much more sense, don’t you think? At least now I don’t think I have to dig in pudding looking for a proof – I was having awful flashbacks from geometry class in high school.
I believe understanding this phrase is pretty simple: It doesn’t matter how fancy the decoration and presentation, the true test of a pudding is in how it tastes. In other words, success of something can only be judged by putting it to its intended use or experiencing in its final form. It’s all about results.
Byron's Babbles 
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