Student Blog: You are all amazing
We are all ‘perfect’ in our own way, as Jessica explained to Assembly this week.
Well good morning everyone. What a turn out! I hope we are all well rested and ready to hear this speech. We’ve got Year 7 ready and pumped for the day. I can see the enthusiasm. Then up there, we’ve got Year 12. Hi everyone. I hope you’ve all had your coffee. Amelia, stop yawning! I’ve just started.
Alright, perfect, now that I’ve got your attention, I’d just like you to know that YOU ARE ALL AMAZING. You are all fantastic. Your possibilities, goals and achievements are endless. But I’m not just here to compliment you. I’m here to talk about being ‘perfectly imperfect’ and how we have misconstrued and misinterpreted this to incorrectly define the meaning of ‘perfect’. Now I do these fingers for ‘perfect’, because it’s something we think is real. See, it doesn’t exist. And when I say it doesn’t exist, I mean it doesn’t exist in the way we think it exists. We perceive perfect as getting 100% in a test and think anything less is a failure. We perceive perfect as being the best actor, singer, sports women or the prettiest girl. But this doesn’t exist either. We all have imperfections, but I’m not going to call them that. We might be bad at something and we might not have specific traits, but that doesn’t mean we are imperfect. In fact, these are the things that make us perfect - perfect within ourselves!
Lily (Year 12) is an absolutely outstanding soccer player. She’s in Reps, the NSW team and she’ll definitely be playing for the Matildas one day. But…. I hate to say this…. she cannot sing. Is this a bad thing? No! Lily embraces it, walking round the locker room singing. Mya (Year 12) is an English whizz. She whips out words that I’ve never even heard of before, but Maths isn’t her forte. So, she dropped it. Is that a bad thing? Of course not. It means she now has free periods to concentrate on other things. Liv (Year 12), well, what’s she not good at? Incredible at every sport and most importantly, the kindest person to everyone. But we are both currently struggling with 3 unit Maths. But that doesn’t mean we’ve stopped giving it a go, does it Liv? We’re going to keep doing it until we succeed! Now, Josie (Year 12) is insane at Drama and one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. But, if you’ve ever been in the car with her, there are not enough seat belts to keep you safe. But she’s working on her driving and practising hard to improve.
I’m not bagging these girls out, but instead I’m trying to show you why they are proud of themselves, despite their imperfections.
And you need to celebrate being perfect just the way you are. We’re all individuals and we’re all unique in our own way. And that makes each and every one of us amazing. Take me for example. I’m never going to be a model, but I still think I look pretty good today. Being ‘perfectly imperfect’ means that you are not perfect, but you own it. So be confident and embrace your imperfections because everyone has them. It’s what makes you, you, and me, me! But if we keep striving for what we perceive to be perfect, we are not living our best lives and will never experience fulfillment. Be proud of who you are and what makes you unique and you will live the happiest life you can. Because each and every one of you is perfect.
Now I know the majority of you have zoned out and fair enough. I’m kinda boring, but I’m going to leave you with one small thing to remember.
Year 7 - when you get your first assessments back remember that regardless of the mark, you did your best and you have plenty of time to practise and improve.
Year 8 - try and talk to people you haven’t really spoken with because you might surprise yourself and have something in common.
Year 9 - your friendship groups are changing, but remember to keep being yourself and be proud of who you are because at the end of the day it will all work out.
Year 10 - is on camp, so this is awkward.
Year 11 - it is one of the best years of school. You all start fully accepting and embracing yourself to live out your passions, so enjoy it.
And finally Year 12 - it is a rollercoaster year full of incredible highs and lows, but just remember, a mark doesn’t define you, you define yourself.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is that everything that is perfect can be summed up by one object. A mirror. Because if you look in it, you see yourself. Because you’re perfect. Just the way you are.
Jessica (Year 12)
Prefect, Co-Captain of Duke of Edinburgh