I have spent a great deal of time over the past few months thinking about what success means and I have to say as someone who can get stuck noodling around in her mind at times, it has been interesting to focus on the many concepts and definitions of success.
I have been asking people for weeks now, what does success means and how do you define it?Yesterday a friend turned the question on me.How do I define success?
From his warm smile to his engaging laugh, his absolute passion for fun and his dedication to honing his skills in a sport that he loves, it is clear that Jon Montgomery has much to teach Canadians about attaining and appreciating success.
What inspires someone to hurtle themselves headfirst down a path of ice at harrowing speeds?Honestly, because it looks like fun!“You don’t need a better reason than that!” laughs Gold Olympic medalist Jon Montgomery.
As a child growing up in Russell Manitoba, Jon played many sports but when he went to college he chose to focus on school and for about four years he hadn’t been involved in competitive sport.He had always known that he wanted to compete in a world-class sport and he thought it might be speed skating until he discovered Skeleton in 2002. While entertaining his parents Eldon and Joan Montgomery during a visit to Calgary, the family took a self-guided tour at the Canadian Olympic Park.That night Jon“saw someone flash past headfirst on their stomach and it looked super appealing!” He quickly realized that could well be what he did to represent Canada as an athlete.
From a TV interview with Jon: I saw an athlete come out of what I now know is corner 8 going headfirst on their stomach and at the time I thought it was a horrible luge accident gone wrong.I’m not the sharpest guy out there but I did recognize a trend when I saw athlete after athlete after athlete come down in that same fashion.
A week after watching skeleton that night at COP Jon made his first run.He had been told that the class was full but that if he showed up there was a chance that someone might not show up.It turned out that the night was bitterly cold and a lot of people didn’t show up.As soon as he was at the bottom the first time, he ran back in and signed up for the next session.He got in four runs that night and then had to wait an agonizingly long five months through the summer before being able to get involved more seriously in the sport.
When you attend a sporting event, whether it is your child playing in the local soccer league, the Bombers playing football or your spouse tossing a curling rock, you know that it is best to maintain a positive and supportive attitude.Cheerleaders encourage us to join in celebrating successes throughout the game.We cheer for each good play made by our team!Even when facing the toughest season in years, we continue to applaud for our favourite players and celebrate their wins. We don’t sit silently in the stands, we offer feedback and enthusiasm throughout the game and we continue to attend, to fill the stands regardless of the weather.
We don’t often cheer wildly when our child achieves an “A” on a grade 10 math test or walks to school alone for the first time or learns to skip or whistle, but the need for acknowledgment is as great for a child as it is for an athlete and children thrive when their accomplishments are celebrated.
I am the 47-year-old single mother of three.At the age of approximately 30 years, I was diagnosed with Sensorineural Hearing Loss, a hereditary and permanent form of hearing loss originating in the nerves of the ears.
I went through all of the stages of grief associated with what I perceived as a terrible loss. I was working full time and I have always had a job working directly with people. I suffer from Tinnitus, a constant ringing in the ears.There is no cure for this affliction.After many visits to specialists, I accepted that yes, I had this disability and it was not going to go away.
I would like to explain that hearing loss is termed the Invisible Disability, as there are no outward signs.While glasses are accepted as a part of life in our society, it is not so with hearing aids. They are extremely costly and people are often reluctant to wear them due to the stigma attached to them.Many people treat those with hearing loss as though they have also lost their intelligence. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.Hearing loss affects thousands of Canadians and people all over the world.
It’s knowing what you want to do and then working hard to get it. Even if you don’t have lots of money, if you are happy doing what you do and having what you have, I think you are successful. Elaya, 12
Sometimes success doesn’t always come when you want it; you have to wait for it. I think how you treat people is what defines your success. Leslie , 42, mother of 2
Success for me means finding a healthy balance for all the roles in my life because each is a piece of who I am and therefore important for making me whole. Kerri - 30, mother of 2
Success is to have two children napping simultaneously.
Success Is the Letter "O"
When your child has Autism, and communication is a daily struggle for both of you, success is often defined by the small things. Finally, at the age of four years, she said the "oh" part when I sang "E-I-E-I..". It marked the first time she "filled-in-the-blanks" for anything. Now, she can successfully fill-in-the-blanks to several favourite songs, including animal noises for "Old MacDonald", the letter "P" in the alphabet song, and the "Oh No!" part of "Slippery Fish". Her ability to participate in her favourite songs, and for us to have a common experience we can share, is a significant milestone in her development. Carolyn, mom of 2
Success is sitting down at the end of the day and taking stock of all the things that fill your life and your time, and being left with a profound feeling of contentment. Success doesn't come with the amount of money you have, the number of toys you own, or the objects that fill your life. Success is being content living fully present to this moment and appreciating who you share it with. Shawn, father of 3
Thank you to those who read my pregnancy articles. It was a privilege to write them and I am excited to share the story Elizabeth's birth.
First, I'd love to tell you a little of Sebastian's birth.It was a defining moment for me. I was 15 years old. I had read all the books I could find, attended midwifery appointments with curiosity and prenatal classes excited to have Jane Skinner fill me with the confidence that my body was made to give birth. I was fortunate to have an aunt who provided me with spiritual knowledge, a trust in myself and her services as my doula, my support person who would in my weakest moment, when I felt most like giving up, say You are doing great, you can do it!
That first time, I prepared myself for anything.I didn’t know what to expect until it happened: the sensations of labour, pushing my baby into the world, the first precious moments of holding him to my breast. Although young, I educated myself with tremendous success.After a healthy pregnancy and drug-free, 37-hour labour, I pushed my handsome son Sebastian out in my very own living room, and fed him with the milk from my breasts for the first two years of his precious life. I was on top of the world.I had connected with an immense power source and acquired a newfound love for my body.
I know some may find my experience and beliefs about birth to be extreme. My hope is to inspire and encourage women to have wonderful births and to feel empowered sharing their stories.
Some who read my prenatal articles, might have asked, "Why doesn’t she mention doctors appointments?" Those who know me were aware that I chose to have an unassisted pregnancy and birth.That meant no ultrasound, no blood work and no doctor or midwifery appointments.
Choose to work through the obstacles, to seek out the challenges, and to not let the frustrations get you down. For as you move through them, you are moving toward success, achievement and fulfillment.Ralph Marston
Several local teachers share their thoughts on creating the perfect beginning to a successful school year.These women are both teachers and moms themselves, so they know what it’s like from both sides of the desk!
Katherine Sherris
Stop by the classroom if you can! I love to connect the faces of parents to my students as soon as I can. We are on the same team and the sooner we make a connection, the smoother the rest of the year's communications will likely go!That being said, it's important to remember that those first few days are extremely hectic, so please don't be offended if it seems like your child's teacher is spinning in circles . . . She probably is!!
If there are things that you think will help your child's teacher understand your child better, find an opportunity to share! I know it can be difficult to reveal things that seem personal, but teachers spend close to 30 hours a week in close contact with their students and are in a better position to be emotionally supportive if they have a picture of the 'whole child.'
"Mom, I think we are mal-adapted.We should get really nervous and blow the things that would be bad for us.Not the things that we really want that would be good for us."This was the terse response I got when I asked my son how it went as we left his audition for admission to the performing arts high school.
Performance anxiety for kids is common in test taking, math, sports, dance and music.For all ages, public speaking can take our anxiety to crisis levels.It is said that for most people, our second greatest fear is dying, while our first is public speaking.Taken to its logical conclusion, that would mean more people would prefer to be in the casket than giving the eulogy at a funeral.
By Sally Bender One of my dear friends has a three-year-old son and she’s worried that he is behind some of the children at his daycare. “Are they girls?” I asked. She said they were. That answer is not such a surprise, as any one of you with experience will know. Girls are generally quick to settle at what many call learning activities. They seem to like sitting and listening, reading and writing. They love to draw, color and cut. Many little boys would rather play and feel little need to sit and listen. I remember wondering if our son would ever stop long enough to figure out what a book was. In fact, I followed behind as he played, reading to him and hoping that perseverance would pay off! It did in spades and today, he reads more than anyone else in our family of readers. So, be persistent and those children who don’t seem interested, or to be listening, might grow up to surprise you!
All parents want their kids to be successful at school and in life. The truth is that if you are a reader, you have a far greater chance to achieve that success. When you think about it, you need to be able to read if you want to do math, science or social studies. Your child’s success is your hands, when they are small. When you find the books that intrigue and entertain them, and you take twenty minutes a day to share favorites with them, they are on the road to reading success and thus, success for their future. It sounds easy, doesn’t it?
To that end I want to tell you about a book that I have used with parents, friends, student teachers and teachers. It is wonderfully written by a teacher of teachers and an award winning author of more than thirty books for children, Mem Fox. The book is called
Reading Magic and its subtitle is: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever. In the foreword she says: “Every person, every group, and every government official I met was, and still is, working hard to bring home the message that reading aloud to children before they start school is a win/win situation for all concerned.”She also says that those children “who are read aloud to for twenty minutes a day in their first five years, usually learn to read more quickly, happily, and easily.”What could be better for all concerned? We all have twenty minutes every day and before long, you will love it so much that you will want to read for longer and longer periods of time…Ah, attention, time and a loving environment.
Once you have read this amazing, uplifting, practical and entertaining book, get out to the library or book store and look for some of Mem’s books. You won’t be sorry! Titles to check for are as follows: Time for Bed, Koala Lou, Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, Possum Magic, The Magic Hat, Where Is the Green Sheep?, Harriet, You’ll Drive Me Wild, Boo to a Goose and Tough Boris….I could go on, but you will have fun looking for some together with your own little reader!
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