Keep throwing rocks at glass ceilings
#138 - music, Monopoly and McIntyre's autobiography
Hi there,
It’s Christmas week! The moment all those Christmas songs, decorations and markets have been dedicated to is nearly upon us. My plans for the day - opening presents, watching a movie (or two) - I’d like to watch Skyfall - and a dinner out. 🤗
The week gone was quite a fun one. It was lovely to be back at school, reconnecting with friends, students, staff and parents, for concerts and more, as well as get back to going to the gym. We also had a family friend round for the weekend, ensuing a 3h rendition of the original Monopoly, me getting too tired to write #138 and hence it’s out on a Monday!
Highlight of the week: my Wednesday at Vesey. It started with a meeting followed by a rehearsal (why in a bit!). I came back for the afternoon for a charity rugby match (which my year group won!) and made it a hat trick for the 2nd concert. I got to chat with so many people and ended up getting back on the hall stage for a celebratory performance! Our stellar Director of Music’s departure last week called for ‘the band coming back together’ of students across Vesey generations, to perform ‘Feeling Good’ - that’s certainly how I felt on the night.😊
I. One of the biggest achievements I was part of last year was the monumental record our Christmas charity project made. Known as The Giving Tree, it’s a student-led concept of members of the public donating certain items as presents at our town centre. A team of Sixth Formers wrap them up in time to be delivered to charities for Christmas - heart warming.
Last year, my friend and charity captain Karim decided to expand to 2 sites and also set a lofty target of 5000 gifts, given the previous year’s tally was 2005.
However, key Sixth Formers and officers putting in the hard yards, combined with energy, perseverance and teamwork, led to us smashing the goal and getting to 5600.
People in our year group thought that it wouldn’t be broken - it felt a gargantuan effort to get it that far, and would ‘the next lot’ be able to match our incredible efforts?
Fast forward a year and, you guessed it, they have. This time under the stewardship of two captains, Yusuf and Amelie (both also readers of the blog!), and again a group of key players, the school achieved 7103 presents 🤯Well done to all those involved in this great success.
II. I love my new laptop. It was great even before it came out of the box - we got it on a near-half-price deal, and then got 10% off with a student discount and then another 10% cashback with a free trial cashback website we got - who knew compound discount existed?
Beyond the dopamine hit of saving, it is very versatile, has good specs and, very importantly, is small. Its sleek and slim build makes it very easy to carry around, but it still gets the job done.
It certainly is a big upgrade from my previous computer. My iMac at home was powerful too and it’s a much larger screen. On the other hand, people who have been on calls with me will know how painful and irritatingly slow it performs. To remodel a common phrase, if I had a crisp for every time I’ve had to wait for something to load, I’d become the Chief Consuming Officer at Walkers (specifically in the Lightly Salted division of course)
Therefore, when I wanted a break from the excruciating horror, or needed to sit upstairs, I’d resort to my Mum’s laptop, a trusty companion to my time at home. Yesterday, I picked it up out of the draw and was amazed at how thick it felt. I felt like I was either holding 2 laptops worth or Mum had put the laptop on steroids (probably upset because she missed me 😂)
III. To finish with another Vesey example, my year group last year created what I would term a ‘cultural revolution’ at my school. It began with the very entertaining Diwali week I spearheaded with a Y9 friend. To quote my headteacher in reflection, “you were just loving life”.
4 months later, our school had another first ever religious week, this time marking Ramadan. The week was capped off with an iftar, a community meal eaten by Muslims to break their fast, hosting over 100 guests from across the Vesey community. It was a grand success and very well received.
In our chat later that month, one of the leaders on the night, Usairam, told me how seeing us execute the Diwali week opened up the idea in his mind that a cultural week celebrating a religious festival can work - and they both worked out very well.
All these stories are examples of what’s come to be known as the Bannister Effect.
Roger Bannister broke the thought-to-be impossible milestone of getting a four-minute mile in 1954, which hadn’t been done before (at least for 70 years)
Just 46 days after the historic achievement by Bannister, Australian John Landy jumped ahead of him by a full second. What’s more, 3 people also managed to get it in 1955 (all on the same day coincidentally - May 28 1955) and 5 in 1956
Similar stories can be seen in equally daunting and daring pursuits, like Sir Edmund Hillary reaching the top of Mount Everest and Bonnington doing the exact same 2 years later, or the 5k record improving by a massive 20s in just 2 years.
This phenomenon shows us that one person proving something isn’t impossible can break our perceived limits and inspire us to do the same and even better. It unlocks our mindset, making an impossible dream into an attainable reality.
This means that we should:
actively look to break our frame of reality - set up your information diet to be awe-inspiring and show to you that what you want in life can be achieved, whether that’s the people you’re around (“Be in rooms where you’re the least smart”) or online (taking the toxicity and self-promotion filters off LinkedIn)
use our own successes to inspire ourself and others and catalyse change - as a new year approaches, set yourself the aim of doing something which you think is wild. If you can do it, you’ll thank yourself and look back at your progress, motivating you to go even further. If your actions can ignite drive in others too, it’s a legendary achievement.
We are told that anything is possible, and perhaps it is. When you find a goal you want to run after, find your Bannister that has got where you want to to take strength from. If not, why not be a Bannister yourself? Either way, be in the business of shattering glass ceilings, making the impossible possible.
Channeling my motivational speaker avatar then, not very Christmas Monday is it? Hey, it works.
Podcast of the week🎙️
All in the Mind - The skills supercommunicators use (and how you can learn them)
It was validating to hear a few of the things I’ve done intentionally to be recommended here. Duhigg is a good author so why not hear straight from him, in 30 minutes?
What I’m grateful for this week 🙏
Arron Singh for letting me leave my sax at school between my 3 visits - it would have been a nightmare to drag it with to Greggs, gym, home and back.
Quote of the week 💬
I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have - Thomas Jefferson
Have a lovely last week of 2024, and Merry Christmas. 🎄🎅🏾
Adi