Are You Successful? S. 3 E. 42

Listen to this episode to learn seven insightful ways to measure success in your work and home life. You might be more successful than you think!

 

Show Notes: 

Episode Summary:

Do you consider yourself to be successful? Are you a successful teacher? Have you been successful as a friend or family member? In your work life, you likely have experienced teacher evaluation systems that determine success by someone’s definition. You may also feel measured by someone else’s metrics for success in your home life. Today we are discussing 7 different and insightful measures of success, applicable in your work and home life, that can help you gauge your level of success. There are no rubrics or tests here! 

In this episode:

These notes are abbreviated. As always, for the full show with all of our stories and examples, listen to the recording.

Introduction: 

Success….that’s a loaded word.

When we initially think of success, we think of someone else’s judgements placed upon us. You may have been taught, whether it was explicitly stated or not, that success was something that others recognized in you, not something you saw in yourself. There always seems to be some metric for success that someone else holds in order to measure our success.

To some extent that will always be true. For example, you can’t get a degree because you think you learned enough. You successfully earn the degree because you met or surpassed someone else’s pre-set criteria. However, there are other ways to measure a successful life that are more internal. You can look at your life, through your criteria, and your own way of determining what matters and what aligns with your values.

Do you consider yourself a successful teacher? A successful friend or spouse?

There are many different teacher evaluation systems and districts use many tools to evaluate teachers. The media and the public also have opinions about what it means to be a successful teacher. Everyone has been to school, and as a result, everyone has an opinion of what good teaching looks like. That same attitude applies to parenting, how to be a good spouse, or how to be a good friend. But do YOU think you are a successful teacher and person?  How do you measure that?

We know that many assessments don’t get at all the things that make a teacher successful in the classroom or a person successful in life. Some things are more easily measured than others. We can look at your students’ scores on standardized tests easily. It is much more difficult to assess whether you are kind and build an atmosphere of mutual respect in your classroom and your home. Both are important.

Today we will be talking about 7 different aspects that can help you determine if you are successful at work and at home. These are important things you are probably doing all the time, and doing well, but you don’t take time to stop and assess yourself for success in these areas.

As Henry David Thoreau once said, “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”

7 Ways to Know if You Are Successful

1. A successful person builds connections with those around them.

The teachers we remember most fondly are the ones that knew us well. The great aunts we loved the most were those that listened to us and invited us into their circle of warmth. We felt respected and we knew that that teacher and great aunt cared about us. People will work hard for you, and with you, if they know you care. Good teachers know a lot about the students they teach. They know a lot about their colleagues. They listen and talk to them.

Successful teachers know about their students’ lives inside and outside of school. They understand their learning strengths and challenges.

The same is true in other parts of your life. Successful friends know when their friends need them. The connections are strong and they show up in times of need.

Do you have connections with your students, family, coworkers and friends? If so, you are successful.

2. A successful person can be flexible in different environments.

Notice that we did not say, A successful person can be comfortable in different environments. We said, “flexible.” You don’t have to be comfortable going into every situation to be successful. You do however, need to be flexible and adapt to your surroundings.

For example, you wouldn’t teach the same way to a rowdy kindergarten class that you would to quiet one. Nor would you serve the same food and beverage to a group of teens at your house that you would to your refined book club. You adapt and are flexible in different environments. That is a hallmark of success!

Good teachers know how to choose different strategies for different purposes. They have a toolkit of techniques to help them work effectively. Every class is different and good teachers know how and when to adapt as they teach.

At home you also likely have to think on your feet. Your plans may not align with those of your family and friends, causing flexibility to be a necessity.

Are you flexible with your students, family, coworkers and friends? If so, you are successful.

3. A successful person has high standards.

We have talked about the importance of setting high standards for yourself and others in previous podcast episodes. If you don’t set high standards, there is nothing to reach for. No one wants a life of mediocrity. We come alive when we set and meet our goals. Of course, you don’t want to set those standards so high that no one can reach them, leading to disappointment.

The best teachers hold high standards for student behavior and for student learning. They are clear about their expectations and hold students accountable. Good teachers know that they have to teach and model so that students know both what is expected of them and how to do what they need to do to meet those expectations. They don’t just have high standards, they support students in their personal growth and achievement to reach them.

Holding high standards for students is tricky, it is easy for students to feel like you are overly tough, or that you are picking on them or you are too demanding. You can temper that by explaining WHY you ask and expect for them to do things in a certain way.

At home, you likely have standards for cleanliness, communication at the dinner table or other standards that you have ingrained into your home or friends group. For example, maybe you listen and agree to not speak over each other, even if it is an unspoken rule. Explaining why you have these standards is important at home too.

Do you set high standards for yourself and others? If so, you are successful.

4. A successful person is proactive.

Life is no fun when you are always reacting to what gets handed your way. When you are constantly feeling like you are drowned by the sprinkler system of life, it’s time to get proactive and figure out where the fire is and stop it at the source before the sprinkler system goes off again.

Good teachers are proactive in lesson planning and in communication. Successful teachers keep parents informed about what is happening in the classroom. They make contact with parents and establish a relationship before there is a problem. When there is a problem, they keep parents in the loop and work with them to find solutions.

At home, you are likely proactive in more ways than you realize. You probably stop problems many times each day, before they even have a chance to become a problem. Of course there will always be unexpected life turns, and we will have to pivot, but being proactive prevents many of the negative turns before they happen.

For example, taking time for meal planning, list making, and using a daily calendar are ways to prevent prevent future problems. Those tools keep your from forgetting things so that they get done when they need to be done.

Are you proactive rather than reactive as much as you can be? If so, you are successful.

5. A successful person supports those around them.

Being supportive means that you do your part and encourage others as they do theirs. You are helpful when you can help someone. You follow through on tasks. If you do what you say you are going to do, you will earn the trust of the people you interact with and love daily. They know they can count on you.

You come to meetings prepared. You encourage your colleague who is feeling down. You remind your students that you are there to support them. You take care of duties and turn in your attendance, grades and other requirements on time. Being valued as a colleague and supportive teacher is a sign of success.

At home, you encourage your family members. People come to you because they value your advice and know you will come through for them.

Do you support the people around you? If so, you are successful.

5. A successful person knows when to ask for help.

Rather than being a sign of weakness, asking for help is a sign that you are responsible enough to know that you don’t know everything and that you are willing to learn. No one has ever completely mastered everything.

In school, asking for help shows a growth mindset, and life-long learning is a trait that successful teachers share. When you display this growth mindset, you are modeling for your students what you hope to see in them.

This also means not being afraid to ask students for help with something. You are admitting that you don’t know everything.

At home, it can be difficult to ask for help if you are the caretaker. However, odds are good that there is someone in your friend or family circle who would be glad to help you with anything you ask. You just have to ask. If not, look into your community resources, they may have the knowledge or supports you need.

We are here to tell you that if your child is over the age of about six and you are making their bed and putting away their clothes in the drawers and packing their lunches, you are allowed to ask them to help!

Do you support the people around you? If so, you are successful.

6. A successful person is involved in some type of community.

What communities do you belong to? Your school committee? A neighborhood committee? A friend group that has been together so long you are like family? A book club? A church group? When you are part of a community, you benefit from all that the community has to offer. How do you know you are a successful member of a community? You show up at events. You volunteer for committees. People know and greet you by name.

At school, good teachers are invested in their school and the greater communities where they are housed. They get to know the community around the school by patronizing local shops and restaurants.

For example, a teacher we worked with did not live in the town where he taught. He made an effort to service his car at a shop near the school. “They fund my paycheck,” he said, “why would I not want to support them?” People notice when you are committed to your school and the community.

At home, you have a core group or two where you can say you are a part of something bigger than just yourself. This doesn’t have to be a formal community, it could the Tuesday morning yoga crew who all show up to the same class each week and they support each other.

Do you belong to at least one community? If so, you are successful.

What would you add to our list?  What makes you feel success at work and at home?  As always, we would love to hear your ideas.

Quote: 

If we haven’t sold you on the importance of recognizing your own success yet, we end with the powerful words of Abe Lincoln,

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing.”

Abraham Lincoln

Recap:

Success is not always measured using rubrics or evaluations. Nor is it always measured by others. You can determine your own level of success in these important areas that matter more than what you can do on an assessment-  building connections, being flexible, having high standards, being proactive, supporting those around you, asking questions and becoming engaged in your communities. You are probably more successful than you think you are!

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

Inspired Together Teachers podcast episode 15 Raise Your Standards

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

Download our FREE resource: The Inspired Teachers Guide to Taking Back Your Life.

Website: https:www.inspiredtogetherteachers.com

Instagram: Inspired-Together-Teachers

Facebook: Inspired Together Teachers

Facebook Teacher Warriors Group: Teacher Warriors Facebook Group

Linked In:  Inspired Together Teachers

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

If you are dedicated and caring but often overwhelmed and exhausted, join us at Inspired Together Teachers. We’ll give you inspiration, strategies and tips that help you navigate life’s challenges as a stronger, more confident, and more joy filled person, both in and out of the classroom.

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Co-hosts Paula Schmidt and Michele Vosberg are award winning educators with the experience and skills to help teachers thrive in life and work. They’ve taught at all levels, worked with thousands of teachers, and conducted workshops around the world. They are also the authors of the #1 best-selling book The Inspired Teachers Journal: A Weekly Guide to Becoming Your Best Self.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to lived inspired lives.