Success: A New Definition
Should success be defined in terms of salary and accumulated wealth only? If so, I have failed miserably. Yet if I ignore society’s definition, I am finding a new sense of peace around the word success. Here are a few examples of newly defined success in my own professional and personal life:
- As a mother whose children are grown, I can see that within their own different stages in life they still need me, and I try hard to listen, hear and guide when needed. The process of parenting is forever, and my version of success isn’t in doing this parenting role perfectly any longer. Now I have the wisdom of that impossibility. Parenting is in being present, gently encouraging and helping, all the while letting go in order for them to learn their own lessons in the school of life. I think that act of truly letting go while still being there for them requires the art of emotional balance, and when I have accomplished this balance in moments of my life, I have created sustainable success.
- I had finished teaching my music classes at a nursery school–packed up, ready to go. As I zipped up my roller bag, a loving teacher appeared in the room holding a screaming baby. She surprised me by asking: “Cheryl Melody, can you sing to him in your beautifully soothing voice and see if he will calm down? It’s his first day, and he won’t stop crying.” The request was SO deeply touching. I began to sing an original lullaby as I looked in the child’s sad eyes. Purposefully, I tried to send the healing vibrations of music into his little soul, and magically he stopped crying, and was calm, peaceful and transformed. In a precious moment, I felt the miraculous power of music within a priceless feeling of success.
- Some of my classes consist of special needs children. The special needs teacher warned me that she may need to take a particular child out of class if his behavior became overly disruptive. I thanked her for her sensitivity, and began to teach a musical activity to the group. Soon I scanned the room for a child that I thought was ready to be encouraged to be the leader of this song. Suddenly my eyes locked on this same special needs child, but he had shifted to a focused sparkle in his eyes and a delighted smirk. It was a positive and new behavior that I hadn’t seen previously. I asked him if he would like to lead the song. He nodded excitedly, stood right up and walked toward me. He led the song perfectly from start to finish and at the end, all the children yelled “BRAVO!”–AND he took a bow!I felt success for this child, and giddy delight from this amazingly successful teaching/learning moment.
YOUR IDEAS ON SUCCESS PUBLISHED IN NEXT POST… What is YOUR definition of success in your personal and/or professional life? I’d love to hear from you-were there moments in your life that were giddy, priceless, magical moments of success? I would love to publish your definition and life’s examples! Let’s inspire each other! Please feel free to share, and write me at chermelody@aol.com.
