This week we are celebrating the beginning of our HSC exams. I use that word celebrating purposefully as it is a celebration of much hard work put in by our students and teachers. It may not feel like a celebration to sit a 3 hour exam because there are not many people who love the pressure of exams, but it is something that we choose to celebrate even through the pain.
I’ve spent the last week watching Nedd Brockmann run laps around a blue track. I’m not into running like many of our devoted staff and students here who run for enjoyment but watching Nedd – who is on a mission – and it was hard to look away. His goal: to run 1610km in 10 days and beat the world record set many years ago. It’s not his first record attempt and I’m sure it will not be his last. His victory was snatched from him on Day 10 when he hadn’t made the 1000 miles he intended. It was at this point with a broken body and in the midst of exhaustion that he could have given up having not achieved his goal. I probably would have, most people would have. Re-group, come back later and try again. But not Nedd. He had this determination in his eyes of a man who would not back down, who could not back down and he stepped into his new goal of finishing what he set out to do. Victory came for Nedd but it was at a cost. He had to show resilience, he could barely walk but in that last lap something was different. The end was in sight. He inspired a nation and more importantly he showed himself he could overcome any challenge thrown his way.
I love the great joy experienced by people who achieve their goals and this is something we get to experience when our Year 12 HSC students walk out of their last exam, get their results in December, start their University courses or jobs. We see it in our Year 10 students who finish up early to head out into their dream apprenticeships. We see it in a student who has finally understood something they have been struggling to work through and in ourselves when we achieve our goals as well. This joy overrides the feeling of pain and suffering, it replaces the defeated mindset and it conquers the doubts because no matter how hard it was to get there the end is worth it.
In everything we experience in life God doesn’t promise us easy but He does promise us He will be right there alongside us in the hard and broken times. How much more joyful is it when we had to work hard to get to where we needed to be? Have a great week on the road to achieving your goals whatever they may be.
Hollie
