What Is Success?
When the new school year starts later this month, my first day plan will include an activity where students think about what the word “success” means in general and in specific contexts such as school, sports, and the future. Each individual should have their own definition of success. I happen to be a champion of the definition created by the late basketball coach John Wooden.
John Wooden’s Definition of Success
In a previous blog post, I quoted the definition of success as constructed by perhaps the greatest coach of the 20th century (ESPN, 1999) and greatest coach of all time in any sport (Sporting News, 2009) — John Wooden:
“Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.”
The important points about this definition are:
- Success is defined as peace of mind. It is not defined by achievements. Obsessing over achievements actually prevents peace of mind.
- The peace of mind comes from self-satisfaction with your effort. Again, it is effort that is emphasized, not achievements. I like the way one of my vice principals once put it: “if we know we gave our best effort, then we can sleep at night.”
- “best of which you are capable” is not the same thing as being the best. You cannot be the best. There is always someone better. Obsessing over being the best will also prevent peace of mind.
Mental Health
Wooden’s definition of success is extremely difficult to embrace. I have tried to, but have had much trouble. I coach basketball and I really want to win games, so much so that it keeps me up at night sometimes during the season. While I can comfortably say that I give my best effort in coaching, I definitely do not satisfy the “peace of mind” criterion for success.
Now, coaching basketball is a volunteer gig for me. My job security and livelihood are not tied to it in any way shape or form. Missing my peace of mind once in a while during the basketball season is not a big deal. I will recover.
What I do get concerned about, though, is if students are chronically lacking peace of mind due to being stressed out about grades and worrying about whether or not they will get into university. Why do students worry about these things? Because they live in a culture where success in school is defined by achievements. That’s my opinion. And I really wish I am wrong.
That is why I share about Wooden and his definition of success on the first day of school. I hope to get them thinking that perhaps achievements are not the main measure of success.
Proud Teacher Story
In September 2013 I was beginning at a new school, one for students with language-related learning differences. Many of these students had a very difficult time in public school before finding and enrolling in this incredible independent school.
In my first class, 9th grade math, we talked about success and I shared Wooden’s definition. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if anyone was buying any of it, but that’s OK; I just want to put the perspective out there.
In this group, there was a new student who was also attending his very first class in this school. I had the pleasure of teaching him for 4 consecutive years and coaching him in basketball as well. As it turns out, we came to the school together and left together as well — he graduated in June 2017 and I was moving on to another school. During those 4 years, there were a whole lot of math lessons. But the lesson he remembered the most, the one he brought up when we were recounting our memories at the end, was the one about SUCCESS.
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