Whispers of Success

I used to think in really crisp black and white views. I think we all do at times. I would look at what "success" meant and it often had an all or nothing view or at the very least numerical quantifiers. Whether it was the grade of a climbing route, how fast I biked, or how many miles I hiked there was always something related to a number.

When I began teaching yoga I am sure there were a few of those success parameters floating around in my head. How often I taught and how many students showed up were indicators of success. Yet, in the past few months a lot of that has faded away. I have found that success as a teacher comes more from how teaching makes me feel and how I interact with people. I have experienced milestones I had never even dreamed of.

• I have students bring me gifts. I would NEVER expect this and it's not about the material items. However, when I have brought gifts to my teachers they've been the ones who touched my life. It feels awesome to have that connection. 
• Along a similar vein I have students who have sent me emails, posted on my Facebook, and stayed after to talk to me. Whether or not they're sending compliments, sharing ideas, or inspiration that connection is, again, amazing. 
• I've been asked to collaborate with other teachers on workshops and projects. When you have exceptional peers and are asked to join them, wow, just wow. 
• I am still pumped up for my personal practice every day (okay ALMOST everyday). 

These emotional quantifiers have bee such a better way to measure my success. Tying into that which fuels my passion and makes my heart smile has pushed me further than any number on a scale. 

I am thinking about how I will plan my adventures for 2012. How these emotional indicators will play out in success as far as hiking, camping, climbing, cycling and racing goes in 2012. It's different, but it's the same. Maybe numbers do come into play throughout these activities...but that number will be the percentage of time I feel energized and how many times I smile throughout the day rather than what rating a climbing route is or how fast I can hike. 

Do you have emotional quantifiers for your life? If you don't, can you try? Where are you currently experience emotional indicators and how can that expand?