What Is Your Definition of Success?

Today Rick Hendin and I met with the Bachelor's level students of Mitrata-Nepal Foundation for Children. In addition to updating their bio's and taking more videos and photos to send back to the sponsors, Rick shared valuable insights garnered from 39 years of experience as Director of Human Resources at Boeing Military Aircraft in St. Louis, Missouri.  During his talk, he asked the question, "What is Your Definition of Success?"  

While there is no one definitive answer, I would like to share some examples of success which I witnessed today:

---The first Mitrata child who was orphaned, ill and left to fend for herself, is today, many years later, taking a training course in Social Mobilization and plans on becoming a community educator and organizer.  She hopes to become a sponsor one day, too, so that she can pay it forward and help others like herself.

---Another Mitrata child,  whose mother is deceased and whose father has limited resources, entered the Mitrata program in 2002.  Today she is one year away from completing her Bachelor's degree in Business and is already working as a medical representative.  

---A third student will graduate in April after she completes her board exams and earns her Business degree.   In her spare time she volunteers as a teacher at the Contact Center and loves it because she knows what life is like for most of the children.

All of the young adults we interviewed today are happy, compassionate, confident young people who wish to give back to Mitrata and to their country.  One student told me that "Making money is not what counts....it is what is in the heart that matters."  

As for Rick and myself, it was a joy to witness so many successes.