Mrs Faulkner’s Thought for the Week 27th March
Thought for the Week 27th March 2023
Our theme this week is We persevere which seems quite apt as we head to the Easter holidays having had one of the strangest terms on record- snow, strikes and GCSEs starting, to name but three.
Persevere always sounds quite an old fashioned word to me but the meaning behind it is great advice. Today we might say keep on going more often than persevere, but it does not change the idea that not quitting and seeing something through to the end is a good thing to do.
Of course, like so many things, it is so easy to say and less easy to do. Persevering is not cool; it is sheer hard work to reach an end goal. It gives you a tremendous feeling of satisfaction when you get there, but it can be a difficult journey.
Anyone of us with children will know that persevering yourself is one thing and difficult to do but imbuing your children with the need to persevere is a whole other ball game. In 21st century the philosophy of deferred gratification is an alien concept to most people under twenty. They live in a world where it is almost a crime to be bored and where the content they watch is deliberately made fast-paced to keep their interest going. Small wonder that many of them find it hard to think about keeping going with something for weeks or months, while they get to their ultimate goal.
Of course this is a sweeping generalisation. Many people of every age are experts at perseverance and see its value. I can think of countless examples of students over the years for whom perseverance has really worked in their GCSE results or their wider extra-curricular goals. It is always a pleasure to see someone reap the rewards of their hard work.
Some people, and again I can think of quite a lot of these over the years, do not appear to have the perseverance gene. They may have chosen to ignore the benefits of keeping going with something, or they may have had no example at home to show them how hard work does pay off. I feel sorry for these people because, unless they change, they may never know the sheer joy of achievement and the delight in making something happen from their own effort.
The art of perseverance unlocks the door to a better life by teaching a person that they are able to change the course of their life by continuing to try. They may never achieve their ultimate goal, but they will know that they have tried their best to get there. Their journey will be bumpy at times but they stay focused because they know where they are heading and they just might get there. If they can hold on to this desire to keep going, then they will always have a purpose in life.
As Thomas Edison said. “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”