Hard work pays (off)
#34 - see you in a couple of weeks!
Hi there,
This week saw the end of my time in Key Stage 4 at school - my last day in Year 11. A day which tested your patience, resolve and discipline. The senior leadership team of headteachers and deputy heads were insistent that we kept working, until the very last moment…and I can see why.
It seems like a race where we can now see the finish line and so, we breathe a sigh of relief and stop pushing forward now. It’s a very common thing: in a 100m sprint, you kick off, run the ‘main body’ of the length at high speed and then decelerate to the end.
Yet the way we can now see the finish line, the red ribbon waiting to wrap us in glory. Now is the time therefore that we need to work even harder to get to the end as quickly as possible, and be the champion - come first place.
Anyways, it was a week that flew by as we plugged any leaking pipes in lessons whilst doing my share of questions and past papers at home.
Highlight of the week: the wonderful messages people wrote on my shirt on Friday. Some beautiful words which I’m sure Future Adi will cherish. I wasn’t entirely sure how the whole signing business was going to work but the sentiment of the final-but-not-last-day-in-Year-11 time took over.
On this final day, we had an assembly, starting at 8:35 as a ‘Leavers Assembly’, allowing us to reflect on what an amazing 5 years it has been, to pay tribute to the other class teachers for their support and efforts in the past 4 years and to celebrate being the wonderful year group that we have been.
I also had my Friday morning rehearsal of Funky Bishops to go to, our jazz band. I faced a choice: do I go to Funky Bishops for a mere 5-10 mins, play a few pieces down my saxophone, and then rush to the hall in time for the assembly to start? Or do I ‘take it easy’ and ‘hang out’ in the canteen before ambling to the assembly with the rest of the year group? You can probably guess what I did.
I opted to hurry to the music block, help set up, try out our new piece and then quickly pack away and dash to Big School, the school hall, in time for me to get a front-row seat 🙌.
All that effort was duly noticed, by our Director of Music Mr Buxton, who gave me a metaphorical pat on the back with a “Well Done” for turning up.
This is the inspiration for today’s blog post: the idea that putting effort reaps rewards.
I’m not pretending this is a new concept. It has been told since the dawn of time, from the form of “As you sow, so shall you reap” to “Hard work pays off”.
Here are a couple of useful analogies to sum up why hard work is so important:
Every time you work hard, strain a sinue and contribute some effort to a task, it is similar to crediting some money into a bank account. The bad news is it means you have less to spend on unnecessary things. The good news is that the interest rate is very high, not to mention the compounding returns. It’s like the snowballing effect.
Think about all those goals and achievements your massive lump of snow could ‘knock over’ It’s like cooking up a delicious recipe. The more care that goes into it and the richer, better, and (sometimes) more ingredients you put into it, the better your dish will turn out.
Hard work is supposed to be ‘hard’. If not, if it was easy, everyone would do it and there wouldn’t be any worth in it, like hyperinflation. It’s what sets you apart - the harder you work, the higher you’ll end up.
Finally, today’s title is meant to be a reminder of the future benefit of working hard. Ultimately, me resisting the urge to watch my favourite cricket franchise CSK thrash DC in the Indian Premier League and instead, learning about enzymes overheating, is going to (I hope😉) get me better grades which will lead to a stronger university application, a more competitive degree and thankfully a well-paying job. Seems far away but remember, you might not be able to see the finish line now but it is there - how quickly are you going to get to it? You aren’t alone in the race. Those around you have their eye on the prize as well.
So when you next feel like putting something off because it feels like too much, or to exercise the British version, “can’t be bothered”, remember how valuable hard work is, ‘shut up’ and get on with it. You’ll thank yourself.
Mix it with working smartly and you’re onto a winner!
Podcast of the week🎙️
Kwik Brain: Strategies For Taking Notes You'll Actually Remember
Short and concise, lots to note down here though. One key takeaway was that writing stuff down is better than typing it for memory. I investigated this a couple of weeks ago (can’t remember why now) and found that it actually has to do with more parts of the brain being used in the physical act of drawing letters and matching them together as words. Go and give it a Google.
Article of the week📰
Mali nonuplets in perfect health on first birthday
Having twins is rare, triplets even rarer, quadruplets unheard of. NINE!?!?
Quote of the week💬
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” - Thomas Edison
The quote sums up our post concisely. Work hard and I’ll chat to you in 2 weeks’ time - got my first adrenaline rush in 8 days so won’t be popping up in your inbox next week.
Good luck to all my fellow GCSE candidates. Your hard work will pay off.
Adi