It's all for the all-important experience
#102 - performing Christmas songs on the mic to hundreds š
Hi there,
āItās beginning to look a lot like Christmasā¦ā sings Michael BublĆ© (this weekās podcast star) as I start this weekās post. I have really enjoyed being in the Christmas spirit, probably because Iāve done so many Christmassy things at school this year - a Carol Service, our Christmas charity project (very successful this year), a Christmas Fayre and then 4 Christmas Concerts (you can read more of my awesome work with the report here).
Itās been a busy week like any other with the annual late nights at school playing music, then our Swimming Gala (a source of inspiration for this weekās post) and finishing with our Christmas assemblies to finish off the year. Iāve enjoyed taking the foot off the pedal in these past 3 days - lots of Christmas music, a little bit of work and other holiday things like being lucky enough to sit in your bed and read a book š¤Æ
Highlight of the week: the assemblies on Thursday. I was reminded of just how much I enjoy doing āspeechesā. Maybe it was the improvised style of just having a few notes scribbled on my scruffy notepad, maybe it was the low no pressure nature of them or even the Christmas jumper, but I had a holly jolly good time. I even was forced to got to sing āI Wish It Could Be Christmas Everydayā in front of my own year group to round off one of the performances, it was actually (shh, Iām not admitting to it on the internet, am I?) quite enjoyable.
This Wednesday, I was back in the sweltering first aid room of our local leisure centre swimming pool, a year after my first time in the sauna, to do the scoring for our House swimming competition. A numbers man myself, I loved the spreadsheet and the fast-paced nature, and this year I had a partner along with me - Syum. Heās a Year 9 Iād invited as an āapprenticeā to learn the ropes of how it works so that he can do it well next year and beyond when Iām gone (into the real world š¢)
Why did I do that? Why does he need practice? Surely the teacher-in-charge will just find another kid, the ānext Adiā, to do it and he can learn then? If I was able to get the hang of it last year, another student in the future will surely be able to do it. The answer is the value of experience.
There is a popular social media joke/rant about how āentry-levelā jobs ask for āexperienceā. The question then becomes why: why is it so sought after? Why is it so important that you need that work experience? Here are a few factors that come into play.
Confidence and self-belief - there is a sense of achievement, completion and satisfaction in having completed something worthwhile - letās call it the ābeen there, done thatā power. I saw this with those who did speeches with me on Thursday: their 2nd and 3rd speeches were better than their first one. It wasnāt just the content, it was the conviction in their voice, body language and ācommandā over the audience, which leads ontoā¦
You get better at the thing - duh. Practice doing something is the best way to learn about it. I couldāve spent hours showing Syum through the spreadsheet and discussing ādoās and ādonātsā. But the best way for him to learn was by having a go on Wednesday. As shown below by this diagram created by Edgar Dale that I came across in the book āRich Dad Poor Dadā, ādoingā is the best way to learn.
This is true even with revision and, my forte and favourite, maths. The best way to learn maths is to do questions and āstruggleā, then try to find a way out of it. This is true for most revision and how doing past papers is the best way to prepare (as Iāll be trying my best to follow in the next 4 weeks ahead of my mock exams!)
It is expensive to train - going back to our company point of view, it costs them money, time and other resources to train you. Thatās why they want that time, energy and money spent on it to be your own and not theirās, oh how selfish.
Perhaps this is a good thing, especially for my relatively younger audience (of fellow teenagers, hello!). Getting this experience now, of whatever form it is, is a good way to build skills, meet new people, learn how to do things, when it doesnāt really matter - play experience if you will. As an example, this is where my school captaincy comes in handy. I get the joys of leadership - managing crises, appeasing people in conflict, solving teething issues, working with many stakeholders, thinking creatively - in an environment where failing isnāt the end of the world or there is no material loss (i.e. money).
2 parting thoughts:
a. When making decisions, perhaps it is good to think about optimising for new experiences and new learnings. I had a subconscious choice to make this week of whether I go on a music tour to Europe or on a DofE expedition. One of the reasons I chose the DofE over the tour is because Iāve already been on a tour, this is a different experience to have a go at. Iāll probably learn a lot of new things.
b. As I go forward into my final 2 terms at school and the latter half of my school captain tenure, I should look to think about building people and giving them, both teammates and other students, opportunities to try out leading things, giving them the experience of having tried a task.
Experience gives you the āinsider knowledgeā, the nooks and crannies, the shortcuts and allows you to know what youāre getting yourself into. By all means, keep reading books, learning from talking to people and researching the internet in this democratised information-rich world. But, if you can, try your best to always ājust do itā.
Book of the week š
Iāve finally managed to get underway with The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness. From what Iāve read so far, thereās quite a bit of promise in the book, weāll see how it goes.
Podcast of the week šļø
Never knew so much about BublĆ©, but, as is expected with huge successes like him, thereās a story of adversity, resilience and hard work, paired with genuine genetic talent.
Thing Iām grateful for this week š
My colourful pens that Iāve used to write my Christmas cards this week; in this social media age, there is something quite touching and thoughtful about a Christmas card. I love writing in different pretty pens, which I rarely get to use, and then writing my customary unique jokes before giving them to people and seeing the smiles on their faces. š
Quote of the week š¬
One person can change your life, that person is you. Steven Bartlett
Wishing people āMerry Christmasā this week has been wholesome, pleasant and felt solid, a pure wish of joy and peace. Hence, Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Adi