Keeping a List of Successes

Do you keep a list of successes?  Earlier I recommended that you reflect on success as part of your reflection for the year, but today I want to focus on this one point.  My first couple of years, I waited until the end of the year to to write them down.  The problem was, I forgot a lot of them, especially

the small successes.  It's important to remember all on them, including those that are tiny, but make a difference.  For example, I forgot to write down that Ronnie actually smiled when I helped him read the driver's manual.  And I didn't remember that Susanna fussed, but was then appreciative when I referred her to the counselor because of family issues.  Finally, I always forgot that look in a student's eye the first time they "got it".  I almost took them for granted. 

But we need to track all our successes, or we do forget them.  And then, we begin to think we don't make a difference.  I learned to keep a success journal, which allowed me to reflect on things I did, things my students did, and comments or quotes I liked to keep.  You can get my blank success journal here (scroll down).  

Tracking your successes helps you remember something very important:  You make a difference everyday--even when you don't feel like it, especially when you don't feel like it!