Last week we farewelled our current Year 12 class during their graduation formal at Linton Gardens.
Below is the speech I gave on the evening and I personally think it sends an important message to the youth of today.
The students were our second graduating group and it has been rewarding to watch them grow into mature and ambitious young adults.
‘Teaching and coaching can be simplified; it is to ensure that you leave us as better individuals than when you arrived. You are all a product of our passion and are now a product of purpose, better equipped to chase your life dreams.
My speech today is from the heart and is raw and very real, I make no apologies for this.
You have now completed your collegeing and are officially ready to make your mark on the wide world.
Advice is often given but not always heard, so I ask that for the next few minutes you simply listen the words and brace yourself for reality.
The world is competitive and it hits hard. Over the coming months decisions will be made that will shape your future and whether you like it or not will affect all the people around you.
There is no easy route to a happy life, there are no rainbows or unicorns that magically help you achieve success.
In society today, especially in youth, there is a distinct lack of responsibility, there is limited accountability.
Too often I see excuses and finger pointing as people believe that in today’s modern world they are entitled to succeed.
You are the next ‘youth of our society’ and you have a choice – to contribute to its downfall or make a change.
At CCSC I see you all as a project … you are a project and the success of this totally depends on YOU. Life is great but life is hard.
You are not all going to stumble into your chosen or preferred job and be happy 24/7, some of you will struggle, but it simply comes down to this – if you are happy to continue to struggle and live a mediocre life or be determined to make a change for the better.
Much of today’s society believes everybody wins, in my experience this is not the case. The only people who win are those who work hard and commit every single day to their goals. Some argue that competition in society has no place, let me tell you, life is a competition and you most certainly are NOT entitled to succeed at anything.
The next chapter of your life is going to be tough and you will have to grind it out daily to succeed. Setting yourself up for a great life isn’t a playground, it’s a battlefield where the rules often shift and you need to be flexible and willing to adapt to change. It is survival of the fittest and like many species, the weak get eaten.
I want you all to be happy and successful, one of my core goals for Stage 6 students is to transform your negative thoughts into positive ones allowing you to become great. However no one in this room, not my colleagues, not your siblings or parents can achieve greatness for you.
From today I want you to:
Take personal responsibility for your actions
Increase your own skills and what you offer
Improve your work ethic
Take ownership for everything you do in life.
The reality is that you must embrace what it means to be alive, have a purpose and be proud of who you are and what you do. No one lives to be a ‘no-one’ so ask yourself are you going to be a positive influence on those around you or a negative one?
Shape your own destiny, do not leave it to fate, luck or chance as this will only create problems through laziness and complacency. Be the solution to your own problems and drive success into your world.
Remember average people are passive and get dragged with the flow of life, if the river flows towards rocks they hit rocks, if it goes over a waterfall they follow that path. I can only hope that at CCSC we have enabled you to pick up the paddle and start living actively and drive yourself in the direction you want to go. It is going to be hard but hard work will get rewarded.
I am not telling you this to make you feel like I am giving you a kick up the ass, I am telling you this so you realise that there is huge freedom and joy in taking complete ownership of your life.
The next few years are a great opportunity. You and only you can shape your future and it boils down to one simple thing … work ethic.
Be pumped and engaged, face challenges head on. Have a competitive attitude to your life and strive every single day to make progress.
On social media some people are obsessed with their online persona and image, many create an imaginary profile that shows the world that they are successful and win but never provide any evidence of the hard work that leads to this fake success. The world is unforgiving and we will not all WIN, it is up to you to seek and achieve individual greatness, become a leader.
I want you to do a few things when you leave tonight, First:
Look in the mirror and ask yourself what do I need to do to become the solution to my problems? What do I need to do to live an active positive life where I am respected?
Secondly make two lists:
One list with all the excuses of why you cannot achieve your goals.
Secondly, list all the goals you want to achieve. Contrary to belief do not make these goals easily attainable. Losers make easy goals.
Flush the first list down the toilet and make sure you re-read your physical goals, make professional and personal goals, make them huge goals so that people laugh at your goals and tell you you’re nuts, then even if you fall short of your major goals you will still be making progress and a genuine difference in your life to become awesome.
Do not wait for permission to chase your dreams, no one will validate your goals but you. There is no perfect scenario, mistakes will be made and this is all part of your personal growth.
When you climb a mountain you will slip and you will have to dig deep, but ultimately if you keep grinding and moving forward then you will reach your summit.
Finally, do not fear the unknown but fear regret, live actively not passively, surround yourself with like- minded people, support and love your family as they are your number one fans. It is your world now get out there and dominate!’
Wendy Gourlay says
I wish I had heard these very wise words when I left college in 1958. I so hope the students at IFS listen and learn and understand how lucky they are to be tutored by so many people who really care about their future.
Tania Tracey says
Oh my goodness – that is an amazing speech. I hope my kids get to here it at their graduations in 2019 and 2021!