SHL DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

My heartiest congratulations to each one of you for completing the polytechnic chapter of your academic journey, which culminated in the Graduation Ceremony 2023. For most male graduates, your next lap will be the National Service. For the female graduates, yours may be to the workforce or the pursuit of further studies. Whatever route you may take, I would like to leave you some food for thought to sustain you through uncertain times or stressful moments.

• Armed with a Plan – In Sports Psychology, we talk about goal-setting plans. What it means is that you have a clear plan of how you intend to reach your goal. Specific and clear goals with a realistic timeline will lead you to greater output and better performance, which in turn will give you a sense of pride and triumph. Thereafter, it propels you forward to seek out your next immediate goal. The small steps of success that you achieve along the way will surely go a long way in building your self-esteem and self-confidence, especially when dealing with setbacks along the way.

• Armed with the Ability to View Life in Perspective – I recall listening to 93.8FM deejay Eugene Loh’s frequently articulated statement: “If you change your perspective, you will change in life.” Upon reflection, realised the deep wisdom that comes with this phrase. Too often, we are caught up with our daily lives, only to lose sight of what is really important to us. This is especially true at your age where you perceive the world to be your oyster and you are busy accumulating material gains – an indication to your peers that you have “arrived”. It would be all too easy if everything goes smoothly in life. However, life was never meant to be a bed of roses. Above all things, it is through trials and tribulations that you will perceive the fragility of life, which in turn warms your heart to cherish life and all it has to offer.

• Armed with an Attitude of Gratitude – When life gets hectic and you begin to feel overwhelmed, take a moment to focus on the people and things that you are grateful for in life. When you are grateful, one of the impacts on yourself is a positive emotional state, which in turn energises your overall emotional well-being and helps maintains a positive outlook. Inevitably, the people around you will be influenced by your little acts of gratitude and change for the better.

In your three years with the School of Sports, Health and Leisure (SHL), we have worked hard together and have shared much joy and laughter. Together with your lecturers, we have prepared you to the best of our ability and equipped you with relevant skillsets for your workplace.

We are confident that each one of you will become good ambassadors for RP and SHL. On behalf of SHL, I wish you all the best in your future endeavours and look forward to your contribution as our alumni henceforth.