From Success to Significance: Embracing Excellence

I am forever grateful to Paro College of Education for molding the me for who I am today, may it be the way I perceive things in a more wiser way. Personally, I have always had the experience of finding it tiresome to pursue success on my own. Sometimes, I was too focused on the outcomes: grades, recognition or approvals. What did it do? Well, it has made me nervous and self-objectively evaluate myself. This made me realize that success is not here to stay, it fades away after a certain period of time. However, the work I had done, the lessons I had learned and the man I had become in the process stuck with me far longer.

It all began to change when my thinking changed to excellence. Instead of reasoning about the result, I had done my best in all the aspects-studying, assignments, nursing in a class, devotion to community service, and future instruction preparation. This quest to excel provided me with a meaning. I was more at ease, concentrated, and associated with my development. It was not about being superior to other people; it was about making myself better.

This journey was also accompanied by confidence as a result of excellence. The more I was trying to be sincere in my work, the more I thought I could have an ability. It is not that I wanted someone to recognize me since I was aware that I had done my best, although no one may have noticed. Such gratification indoors was much better than applause or prize. Success cannot offer patience, discipline or humility which was taught to me by excellence.

Ironically, it began to come naturally when I started not running after success. The opportunities got within reach and I did not pursue them, yet they were readily accessible due to my diligence and commitment. This experience helped me to learn that excellence is a by-product of success. We shall have success following us when we attach our minds on getting better. And that to me is the loveliest lesson I have so far had in life.

Indeed, I will be very much indebted to my tutors, who have assisted me in opening my eyes to this fact. Their instructions, constant feedback and belief in my abilities undertook a turning point in my conceptualization of learning and achievement. Instead of pushing me to pass tests and get good grades in order to impress others, they taught me to appreciate the process in which curiosity, grit and learning to self are appreciated.

They reminded me that learning is not a competition but a growth. Through their words and actions, I learned that the true development lies where we concentrate on the things we can actually control; how we work, how we approach our work and how much we are willing to do our best. Thanks to them, I also got to know how not to look at the challenges as something to overcome but as the chance to improve myself and learn more.

I especially appreciated such instances when they took me out of my comfort zone. It was to encourage me to speak up in the classroom, polish my assignments or to be proactive in serving the community. More importantly, it demonstrated to me that excellence is not perfection, it is progress. They rejoiced in my hard work rather than my achievement and that altered everything.

Now when I look back at my career, it’s worth looking back in each milestone that I have achieved. My tutors did not just make me a better student but also made me a better person. Forever grateful to my tutors for making me understand that it is not so much about pursuing success but rather pursuing excellence: quiet, steady and sincere that predisposes us to be what we are supposed to be and the success comes to our door proceeded by nature.