The Success is More Than the Victory

The Meadows School campus with green trees and paved sidewalks in Las Vegas, Nevada
The Success is More Than the Victory

As we rapidly approach the end of term, students, parents, and faculty alike may find themselves a bit anxious for a variety of reasons. Finals are looming, grades are pending, and are we ever truly getting enough sleep? During periods of uncertainty, it is easy to forget what we have actually accomplished because we are so focused on attaining our next goal. The need to constantly win is often our kryptonite. That is not to say that we should not have aspirations, but we should not place a timeframe or a specific image on them.

To be a human in this world means there are going to be seasons of our life that turn out just how we imagined, while there are other seasons where nothing goes as expected. A growth mindset may help us to navigate and turn these into learning opportunities.

Often the things we are worried about rarely happen. The test we assume we will fail, we typically pass. The game we expect to lose is usually the game we win. The college we apply for with a low acceptance rate may be the first college from which we receive an acceptance letter.

However, if none of these happen, have our attempts gone to waste? Are we a “failure” for the rest of our lives? I ask these questions to shift our mindset from seeing a perceived loss as a blemish on our character to seeing it as a detour toward our individual destinations.

As we move beyond finals and enjoy well-deserved downtime during this holiday season, let us reflect on all we have accomplished and find respite in the fact that we are enough despite all of the tangible success that we feel pressured to amass. This new year will present us with new challenges and victories. Go into it with an open mind and heart, knowing that you are still headed towards your destination even if it is in a roundabout way. You do not have to become a winner, you already are one. 

Grayson Bell
Upper School Academic Coach

Resources to Explore:

  • Middle School
  • Upper School