Finding Success

In Poking the Box and Doing The Work! from Angela Maiers Educational Services, Inc. , Angela Maiers talks about the Domino Street team’s “first “Worlds Biggest Book Club” with our first book, “Do the Work” by Steven Pressfield.” One quote she shares is:

“Success doesn’t come to you. You go to it.”Marva Collins

Then she asks, “What does “doing the work” mean to you?”

Of course I couldn’t resist answering this!

First, let me say, that many times I look around at people who seem disappointed with life and their future. They stand around waiting for success to hit them like it was the same as winning the lottery. When they don’t win, they blame their failure of getting the things they want on not winning. They depend on outside sources in order to achieve success and happiness with their lives. What a sad shape they are in.

As with many things that I do in life, I feel that I get out of life what I put into it. I guess that means that “doing the work” is the only way I will get what I want. I can’t stand around waiting for something to happen because life doesn’t work that way.

Growing up with a hard working father who supported my mom and the three of us girls, money was tight. I was told that my dream of going to a private out of state college was impossible. But once I knew my dream, I worked to make it happen. I didn’t let anyone keep me from working on achieving what I planned for my life. Yet, I didn’t wait for money to fall in my lap.

I learned that good grades would help me win scholarships. Then I learned that great grades would help me win lots of scholarships. So I needed to make it happen.

I learned that I could save money by working and not spending. I also learned that working more than one job would bring in more money. And I learned that I did not need all the things that my friends were buying just to fit in with the crowd.

Once I became a teacher, I had to find my own way of teaching that worked for me. Even though I saw other teachers using good strategies, sometimes they didn’t work for me. I learned that once I found what worked for me, I was able to be successful in teaching. When I wasn’t trying to be someone that I wasn’t and I could truly find my own style, I was happy with what I was doing. Too many young teachers give up before they find that style. I had to work to find this point which involved many trials and errors, self evaluation, and also constructive criticism from my colleagues, parents, and students. I had to be willing to accept their opinions and use it to help me find my way.

I guess “doing the work” to me, means persistence. I refuse to give up. I may not be able to find a solution right away or even tomorrow. It might mean that I need to put something on the back burner for awhile but I don’t forget about it. Moving to something else for a little while may actually help me relax and gain perspective in order to come back to find the solution. It is too easy to give up and I don’t believe that taking the easy road will ever make me feel happy with myself.

So, now I ask, what does “doing the work” mean to you?

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).
Original image: 'Cat Excavator'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67513462@N00/123643126 by: Bill Jacobus