Invicta Vlogs
Having had the luxury of a long weekend and enjoyed a couple of country walks and witnessing my husband enjoy the snooker, golf and football, it most definitely occurred to me that the experiences of sports men and women should be something that, at this
Having had the luxury of a long weekend and enjoyed a couple of country walks and witnessing my husband enjoy the snooker, golf and football, it most definitely occurred to me that the experiences of sports men and women should be something that, at this time of year, as examinations are looming, we should heed.
Justin Rose, one of our key golfers, was quoted last week on how he reacts to when things do not always go well. We are about to embark upon our examination season and so, his views are quite pertinent. In fact, I believe that his wisdom would be very helpful to any student currently about to prepare for their examinations (or just thinking about it!):
Justin states: “I always say it is only a bad shot if you react badly to it. You need to accept that you are human and if you make a bad decision just accept it. As long as you learn from it, do not beat yourself up about making a mistake. So if you hit a bad shot, immediately let it go. Then give yourself a challenge: I have hit it in the trees, so this will be a great par. Always looking forward like that. There is no use dwelling on the past. That is an ongoing challenge for me, and I think for a lot of people in life it is one of the hardest things to do.”
Having reflected upon this, it is clear that Justin is so right. The most successful people, are those who focus on solutions rather than problems. As we embark upon examination season, we need to pay attention to what is ahead of us, and not look back. This is so often, a failing of our girls – when they look back, rather than forward. For example, ‘I did really badly on this in the mock’; ‘I have never been able to do this.’
So, this week, as we start the formal examinations, I would like all our students to think about Rose’s advice and stop beating themselves up. Focus on what they can do and each day challenge themselves to do something a little better. That way, they can make real progress without the anxiety that dwelling on the past can bring. I really do wish all our students the very best for the forthcoming examination period. I know that it is a challenging time, but I feel strongly that now is the time for our students to tell themselves that they ‘will shine’ and show their examiners ‘what they are made of’. I have no doubt that they will excel and shall look forward to celebrating their successes in August. If I could sit the examination for them, I certainly would! However, I sense that they will do much better than I could!
