Is the key to success failure?

I define success not by a measurement or on a scale of 1-10, but by how I feel about what I accomplished within. Was it the best job that I could do, or could I have done better? What is one's success may be another's half-ass job. If I feel gratitude, satisfied, and accomplished, I feel as though i succeeded.

I have been successful in many areas of my life (or at least tried) but one that really stands out is in school.I have always tried to do my best in school and stay focused since I was a little kid. Hard work has payed off, and now I am a valedictorian for the class of 2014. I have been accepted into numerous colleges and received thousands of dollars in scholarships. I feel like everything I've done in school has payed off in so many different ways and I have truly achieved success. Using the momentum from high school, I'm definitely not stopping once I get to college.

"I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come."

Michael Jordan

Failure is what separates the good from the great, the average from the exceptional. It is not how many failures you have in your life but by how you handle it and let it define the next root you take in the path to success. Do you give up because you failed or let it be a reason to push yourself further? Failure is the driving force behind getting better, working harder and having the drive to be successful.

I have felt like a failure in track and field, specifically pole vault my sophomore year in high school. I just came off of a great rookie season and I saw no improvement in my sophomore year. I was so frustrated every meet and every practice that i felt like giving up. instead of letting that get to me and quitting all together, I went into my junior ready to work and make a difference. I ended up beating the school record that year and that became one of the proudest moments of my life. By not letting failure define me but instead drive me, I became more successful than ever.

"Failure is the key to success; each mistake teaches us something."

                     Morihei Ueshiba

In Haylee's and I's genius hour project (sign language) I feel like I have had both success and failures. I have succeeded in remembering simple words such as dad, mom, the alphabet, eat, drink, sleep ect. I have struggled in putting together phrases and remembering how to make whole sentences. I need to start focusing on putting together phrases instead of learning separate works and we should start having more conversations using sign language. I will know if we have achieved success if i feel confident that i will remember most of what I have learned and if we can understand eachother in a conversation at the end of this project.