2023 Annual Review

Studies have shown that friendships are determined by how you make other people feel. People will remember and value kindness, humility, and compassion above everything else. That is what determines likeability and friendship, not merely adhering to what others dictate or tell you to be. Your interests and values will change and evolve during school life and beyond. Embrace that. Don’t be afraid of change, mistakes, fragility, consequence, disillusionment; they are all pieces of the path to resilience, character building and growth. Trusting yourself is key, but also learn to accept and value help from your parents, mentors, friends, teachers and counsellors at school and beyond. As I stand here today, I am reminded of the many milestones that we pass throughout our lives. Being young, there is always a sense of waiting, imagining, waiting; waiting for that next event to occur—for life to begin—knowing that it is coming, but still not sure of when and what ‘it’ will be. Ultimately there are two questions you should continue to ask yourself, from now, about everything you do, everywhere you go, and everyone you meet. 1. Do I like this? Do I like this city, this activity, this group of friends, or this person? 2. Is it reciprocated? Does this give back? Does this city, this activity, this group of friends or this person make me feel good? If the answer to either of these questions is ‘no’, then keep looking. And then one day you will find that you are no longer waiting, but rather, living—no longer pinning your days to your next birthday, new job, the next holiday, the next achievement. You will discover that this is your life, and it is real.

Continue to question things, too—and don’t take things at face value. I have a friend who proclaims herself to be a cynic. She says that she is so cynical she doubts the sincerity of other cynics. Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating the benefits of cynicism. What my friend is actually very good at is critical thinking—the ability to look at something from multiple angles and find the facts and the truth, rather than adopt an ideological or philosophical position because someone else tells you to. The recent Emmy Award-winning series Ted Lasso positions its protagonist as a metaphor for this very lesson. Says Ted: People have underestimated me my entire life and for years I never understood why—it used to really bother me. Then one day I was driving my little boy to school, and I saw a quote ‘Be curious, not judgmental.’ So, those that used to belittle me, not a single one of them was curious. You know, they thought they had everything all figured out, so they judged everything, and they judged everyone. And I realised that their underestimating me—who I was had nothing to do with it. Be curious—not judgemental Life is full of social structures where perceptions develop rapidly. People are very easily influenced and quick to form often incorrect opinions about things and others. I speak of the pack mentality often whipped up very quickly, out of nowhere, and rarely in a way that is beneficial. Thinking as a pack and not as an individual goes against the very grain of individuality.

BRISBANE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL ANNUAL REVIEW 2023

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