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It’s time we started seeing success differently. The fact that you don’t get ‘straight As’ doesn’t mean you can’t achieve in education.

What does success even mean?

It will be different for everyone – so don’t stress if your idea of success isn’t the same as your friend or sibling. When you’re doing what you value, something that means something to you; where you feel worth-while, challenged, proud of yourself and happy, you’re on the right track.

Sometimes succeeding is about sticking to it when things get tough too. If you know that something is important to you or is helping you get where you want to be, success might mean asking for help. Something like English or math might not be your strong point but keeping at it to pass or improve your grade can be a success of its own.

You define your success.

The key to success to to focus on goals not obstacles

There are different kinds of smart

Have you noticed how some people just ‘get’ certain things? Sport, music, math, reading, writing, being creative, problem solving, being funny, reading maps, putting things together – no two people are the same.  Everyone has a something they find easier to learn, or are generally pretty good at (sorry Kendrick, let’s not be humble here – you’re probably great at it!) This isn’t just something that parents just say to make kids feel better, it’s true.

Figure yourself out

Get to know what you like. Recognise your strengths – what you’re good at and what you’d like to be better at – and use it to your advantage. Don’t focus on what you see as your downfalls – look at your strengths and use them – it’ll get you a helova lot further and will be more enjoyable.

The truth is, not all ‘successful people’ get ‘A’s. They aren’t all academic or sports stars. So there must be a lot more to success than just that. Your guidance officer or student support staff might have some personality and strength quizzes you can try – or you can check out the MyFuture website and see what comes up for you.

You’ve got more than you know

Sometimes it can be easy to forget what you’ve already achieved and focus on the far off goals like when you’re going to get that trip, that car, that job in the big smoke, getting picked for pro league or discovered as an artist. That all might happen, don’t give up on the dream, but also just know that things aren’t so bad right now.

Celebrate the little things; your friends, the things you enjoy, a good relationship with a teacher or staff member at school. These are the things that make each day worth it, while you’re reaching for the stars, and sometimes you realise that these ‘little’ wins are actually the big things in life.

Try another way

Some learning styles and environments will naturally suit you better. That’s not to say you should give up on where you are- but keep in mind there are heaps of different ways to gain skills and knowledge, with a bunch of pathways to education, training, employment and ultimately – to success – whatever that looks like to you.