Invicta Vlogs
The Importance of Dedication
I hope this blog finds you and your families in good health. After settling into the new term, which was familiar, albeit with new challenges, I wanted to take this opportunity to write about dedication and how important it is in all aspects of life.
Last weekend, I completed an 800m race and achieved a new personal best. Obviously, I was pleased with the outcome of the race, but I was more impressed with the events that led up to it. After a long period without racing, I was understandably a little rusty and my first few races were slower than expected. However, instead of writing this season off because of COVID-19, I challenged myself to break my personal best at least once. After failing at my challenge three times, I arrived at the last race of the season nervous, yet excited at the prospect of what I could achieve. I knew I had to perform well because it was my last chance. During my warmup, I imagined the best possible scenario – but also how I should react if something went wrong. I adopted a positive mental attitude and gained confidence; without this, I would have dwelled on my previous failures and I would have run more slowly than I was capable of.
This mindset is not exclusive to running, or even sport, it can be applied to every aspect of life from exams to musical endeavours. The importance of resilience after something has not gone your way is immeasurable and maintaining a positive mental attitude throughout your life will lead to success. An example of this could be with exams; of course, imagine yourself knowing the answers to every question and acing the test, but also imagine which topics you would not want to come up and then prepare for them. This strategy can help you turn your weaknesses into strengths and lead to better results.
The theme of this week is: Tackling Stereotypes and Labelling, so I urge you to break down any preconceived misconceptions and to treat everyone with respect. This applies to every week, not just this one!
I have no doubt you will enjoy the rest of this term, with the 11+ Open Day and RAG week; we have some special events to look forward to! I hope you take my tips into consideration to try and become the best form of yourself you can be.
Luke Stringer
Head Boy
