While there is no magic formula for success, there are certain ingredients that are shown time and time again to reside in the person who is successful.
Here are a dozen "C-crets of Success.
" I encourage you to model these for your students - and to share the list with them as well.

1. Capability: For someone to be considered successful, there must be a certain degree of innate and/or developed talents.
   These talents made be in any field of endeavor: writing, farming, caring for others, singing, or whatever.
   
2. Carefulness: Successful people are careful and thoughtful about what they do.
   They do not charge willy-nilly into something, make a mistake that they live to regret.
   With all that is in the news lately, I don't think I need to dwell on this one.
   Please be careful so that you can live to see your dreams.
   
3. Caring: Successful people are caring people.
   They care for themselves and they care for others.
   We cannot exist by ourselves.
   Caring for and about others allows their lives and our life to be richer.
   
4. Centeredness: Successful people are centered.
   Another way to say this is to say that successful people "know what they are about.
   " They have determined what is important to them, and they return to that day after day and remain centered, or focused, on what is important to THEM.
   
5. Challenge: Successful people challenge themselves and those around them.
   Successful individuals strive for excellence (do not hear 'perfection') and so they challenge themselves to be better tomorrow than they are today.
   Also, because of their high self-esteem and high expectations for themselves, this transfers to those around them and so others feel challenged to better tomorrow than they did today.
   First rate people cause the people around them to be first rate.
   Second rate people surround themselves with third rate people.
   
6. Charity: "Unto whom much is given, much is expected.
   " There are times that you may resent that.
   I taught at a school for gifted high school students and there were times that they resented having others expect so much from them.
   However, I believe that to be truly successful, you acknowledge your success and do more for others, because you can.
   Be charitable and kind in your actions and your thoughts.
   
7. Cherished: Successful people are loved and cherished by at least one other person.
   Winning awards, receiving honors, meeting challenges you have set for yourself--are all sweeter when there is someone who cherishes you and celebrates with you.
   Nurture your relationships with people, especially those who truly cherish you.
   Give those relationships the time and honor that they are due.
   
8. Cognizance: Successful people are cognizant of what is going on around them.
   They are not in a daze.
   They are aware and tuned in to life.
   There are times to pull inside yourself--for healing, for rest, for reflection--but other times, stay tuned in to the milieu of life around you--the people, the places, the happenings, the beauty, the pain, that is, life.
   
9. Commitment: No one is truly a success unless s/he is committed to something.
   You may not know yet what you want to commit your whole life to, and that's OK.
   But, work to identify what is important to you and what is worth striving for and then commit to it.
   Set goals and strive to reach them.
   It requires more self-discipline than you can imagine--and more self-discipline than most of the people around you in life have.
   Less than 5% of the people in the Unites States set goals--and not surprisingly, then, very few people are successful.
   
10. Communication: Communication is both verbal and non-verbal.
    Cultivate your communication expertise.
    If you have a problem with communication, find others to help you--either a mentor, a class, an audio or DVD series, a book, whatever.
    Work to be able to communicate effectively with others.
    It requires a great deal of effort, but is worth everything it costs.
    
11. Compassion: There is incredible pain and suffering in our world.
    I truly believe that if we do not get a handle on alleviating the pain and preventing further tragedy, the world cannot continue to survive--or if it does, it will not be a fit place to live.
    Have compassion for your fellow human beings and work to make their lives better.
    
12. Complimentary: If you are successful, you see beyond yourself.
    You are aware of others around you and you take the time to sincerely compliment them.
    Sincerely is the key phrase here--not "Oh, your hair is soooooooo cuuuuutttteeee.
    " when it clearly looks as if the stylist was being mean during the cutting session.
    But, real compliments that reach to the core of someone are the kind you need to seek to give--and hope that you also receive.
    

Take these 12 C-Crets of success to heart in 2009 and watch the difference it makes for you, for your students, and for your entire community.