Nicholas Odgers

2021 Dux Address Leaders Induction & Academic Assembly

Good afternoon staff and senior Eddies Boys. It is a real privilege to be standing here today to be able to share some advice I wish I had known when I sat in your position. I’d like to begin my address today with a question. Does a mark of 60 constitute adequacy, and a mark of 100, perfection? Throughout most of my schooling career, my answer to this question has been ‘yes’. Nothing can beat a mark of 100, but a lot can beat a mark of 60. Our education system had slowly ingrained this notion into my mind, to the point that I became so fixated on the result; on reaching the destination and not the journey. Before long, my achievement was dictated by a letter or a number on a test or assignment, and I did everything I could to maximise it. I reduced my learning to the constraints of the textbook; focusing solely on the topics that were to be examined. I would memorise formulas, quotes, and even full essays – anything I thought would help me do better. Anything to get closer to that 100 - the perfect number; the definition of success. But in chasing perfection, I learnt so much about the power that trying your best has on our learning. Now, I want all of you to think forward to when you graduate, and the many emotions that come with it. Graduation is about the mountains each of you climbed along the way. It is about the feeling when you thought you had nothing more to give, but found another gear. It is about the times you fell, and the tenacity and perseverance you showed to pick yourself up and keep going. Whether you thrived or merely survived, you kept moving forward and you did it. You finished school. But once you graduate, you no longer have the luxury of coasting through. The day you leave the walls of St Edmund’s College, you are no longer bound by a school curriculum or a daily routine, and no one is telling you what to do or when to do it. You are governed purely by your own choices and judgement. You have entered the real world, where there are no report cards and assessments to keep track of your achievement. Without frequent tests and assignments, how then can we measure if we are successful? Today, I offer a solution, one which saved me from the demands of perfectionism. I shifted my mentality. I

became determined to get the best out of myself, not for the validation that came with a high score, but for the intrinsic value of doing things well. I deemed ‘trying my best’ a success, to ensure I did not let myself settle for ‘good enough’. But what I learnt is that you cannot do your best if you are worried about doing better. You must invest all your time into the present, and so I turned to the ‘how’. How can I make sure I do the best I possibly can? The answer I found to this troubling question was to use the resources available to me, and I want you all to do the same. Go to your teachers and show them your progress, ask questions (lots of questions), submit a draft. Your teachers are your helping hand, use them. Spend less time setting expectations for yourself and more time doing the things that will maximise your potential. Become process oriented, not outcome oriented and in time, you will find your way. By redefining success as a process of improvement and focusing on the journey and not the destination, I could pursue excellence without the demands of perfectionism or the compromises that come with settling for good enough. With this in mind, I challenge all of you to define your own process for success and live up to your own measures with commitment and passion. If you do so, you have succeeded. Success cannot exist without a thought behind it labelling it as one. Success is a choice. Are you holding yourself back? Although my senior years at the College were extremely gratifying, they were hampered by a great deal of stress. I spent far too much time worrying about the future result, that I nearly missed the present. My advice for you all today is to try your absolute best and take comfort in knowing that. If you continue to try in all that you do, you will continue to learn beyond the classroom. If doing so, you are succeeding. Then, make sure you take some time to relax, unwind, and restore your energy before you try again. So, each day I ask that you: get up, dress up, show up, but never give up. You only fail when you don’t try. Edmund’s to the fore.