ANTI-INVOLUTION | REDEFINE SUCCESS | Cheryl Dublar | TEDxRDFIS Youth

The speaker recounts a student's question: "I'm doing everything right, so why am I so tired?" This reflects a common issue where external success masks internal exhaustion, a phenomenon called involution, where increased effort yields diminishing returns. The speaker, a 15-year veteran educator, realized her own full schedule and good results came at the cost of energy, prompting a redefinition of success. She highlights that scattered effort leads to shallow learning, while focused effort creates deep understanding. Comparing sunlight that warms when spread and burns when focused, she shifted her teaching from "how much did you do?" to "what did you understand deeply?" This change increased student engagement and calmness, indicating true learning. The speaker emphasizes that excellence comes from clarity, not chaos. Success isn't about adding more, but often removing what doesn't matter. Education should foster better thinking, not just more activity. She advises students to focus on what matters, work in cycles with recovery, and measure growth, not comparison. For teachers, it's about designing focused learning experiences, and for parents, guiding direction. In an age of AI, the advantage lies in deep thinking and asking better questions, as human value comes from clarity of thought. Success is building capacity and making effort count, leading to sustainable growth and energy.