Columbus
March 23, 2016
Some people may define success when they can achieve what they
want. Others may interpret success when they have luxurious cars or many
houses. Personally, I have the following definitions of what success is:
Success is not merely measured by how much money that I have.
Success is when I can share my knowledge with others.
Success is when I can comprehend what I am learning.
I remember what my friends said,
“You graduate from one of the top universities in the U.S.”
“You can travel to another country.”
“You have dollars in your pocket.”
“You are the only friend who are successful.”
These responses are some of example that I received from my friends
who see me as a successful person.
I feel grateful of what they understand
about me. However, deep down in my heart, I am fful because I have been working really
hard to be in this level. I have been participating in some volunteering
activities that teach me the importance of sharing happiness with others. With
the wonderful facilities that my sponsor provides, I may not choose to
volunteer in any activities because there is no formal or academic credit I
obtain. I also do not earn money by involving in some volunteering activities.
However, even if I am not paid, hearing and seeing smiles from other people
whom I serve makes me more than happy, happier than when I obtain lots of
money.
From what my friends have said, there is another crucial thing that
depend my definition of success. I would argue that I am successful because I
can learn from my experiences and reflect to myself. For instance, when an
instructor asked me to arrange an activity in a class to discuss certain
topics, I tried to relate to my own experience. It was challenging to maintain
multiple ideas from 19 classmates who were enrolling in different doctoral
program. I was required to facilitate the class to create a group discussion
and made sure that the voice of each individual was heard. Even though it was
not easy, I would claim that I was successful because each student in the class
that I enrolled was able to share their idea. This activity encourages me to
pay attention on what should I do, in my future teaching, especially when I
have diverse students.
In other words, by reflecting to my own teaching, I understand what
are my strengths and areas of improvement are. So that I also know how to
extend myself within the concept of learning.
Overall,
defining success should be various. There should not be a fix definition
because each person may have different experiences.
