Joseph Samuels (Year 11),  delivered this speech to staff and students at our school assembly earlier this week.

Rejecting Mediocrity
Over the past couple of months I have been reading educational books on various topics. These include Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, the founder of Nike. It describes the rise of the company from its difficult early days to its current status as one of the leading sports companies in the world, valued at over $170 billion.

Another book was the New York Times best seller Atomic Habits by James Clear, revealing the truth behind our motives and decisions. More recently, I read the highest-rated financial book of all time, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by the world-renowned American entrepreneur Robert Kiyosaki. 

Each book's message differs slightly but the themes remain constant. At times society conditions us to believe that aiming for average is acceptable and that seeking to be above average is wrong or unfair, but this is far from the truth. We were not born to be mediocre: everyone here has been given an opportunity that millions of others will never come close to. 

And still at times we may stop when we are tired or sore or unmotivated rather than when we have achieved our goals. But we must strive for the best possible results in everything that we do, if not for ourselves then for our friends and family, not only for those who have gone before us and the ones around us but also for the ones who will come after us. Finally, I ask that if you only remember one thing from this morning, it is this: “If you don’t sacrifice for what you want, what you want will become the sacrifice.”

Confortare Esto Vir - Take courage and be a man.

Thank you

Joseph Samuels (Year 11)