We all know that it is easy to find an excuse not to do something. It can be hard to motivate yourself to dig in, push harder and get where you want to go when it takes real effort and commitment.
People who achieve their goals, their aspirations, focus on their dreams, their vision. They remember why their goals are important and why they want to achieve them. When you can connect to your dreams you can keep going when the going gets tough.
No excuses.
Aspiration at Katikati College means to dream big, to take action and be better than before. In the clip from Rocky VI, Sylvester Stallone (Rocky) is talking to his son. His message? Success is about persevering through challenges. To be better than before isn’t just about how smart or talented or skilled you are, but it is about working hard and taking responsibility for your actions.
As a school we are part of a programme called Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L). We want to further develop our school culture of everyone feeling safe and valued.
The College vision is that, “Katikati College will provide meaningful learning opportunities to inspire all students to reach their full potential as valuable members of society” and we have we have identified what values are needed to live this vision. These values are Aspiration, Responsibility and Citizenship (ARC). Today we are going to look at Aspiration.
‘Lost Generation’ is an inspirational video that talks about the need for change in the world. The video was created by Jonathan Reed when he was twenty as an entry for a competition. It comments on the so-called lost generation. The lost generation refers to young people who feel demoralised and on downward spiral because they feel that their future is not going to be positive. They may believe that they are not going to get a job or have economic security. This generation worries that the world can’t be fixed.
The words to the video could be described as a palindrome. It is very depressing when you read it as it is first written, but the messages become very uplifting when read in reverse.
What messages about aspiration does this video convey?
The Lost Generation
I am part of a lost generation.
And I refuse to believe that
I can change the world.
I realize this may be a shock, but
“Happiness comes from within”
Is a lie, and
“Money will make me happy”
So in thirty years, I will tell my children
They are not the most important thing in my life.
My employer will know that
I have my priorities straight because
Work
Is more important than
Family
I tell you this:
Once upon a time
Families stayed together
But this will not be true in my era.
This is a quick fix society
Experts tell me
Thirty years from now, I will be celebrating the tenth anniversary of my divorce.
I do not concede that
I will live in a country of my own making.
In the future,
Environmental destruction will be the norm.
No longer can it be said that
My peers and I care about this Earth.
It will be evident that
My generation is apathetic and lethargic.
It is foolish to presume that
There is hope.
And all of this will come true unless we reverse it.
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