WORK HARD PLAY HARD

This week I am posting a speech delivered by Andrew Earl at our recent Academic and Cultural Awards Dinner. Before reading the speech bare in mind that Andrew is now achieving above 80% for Academics and has been accepted into Smuts Hall at UCT. In December 2008, Andrew's aggregate was 64%.

I’ve been in White House for 5 years now, and no matter who you are with, after 5 years of being around them you are bound to take some lessons from them. I’m hoping that tonight I’ll share these lessons, and I’m also hoping that as they have motivated me, they’ll do the same to you.

A while ago in grade 9, I remember walking past Stratos’s cube, he was at his desk writing on a piece of paper in big words. So I went up to him and asked him what it was, he looked up at me proudly and showed me the little poster he had made. It had the following written on it: “Work hard, play hard.” He then told me that that was how he was going to live his life. Now the grade 11’s and the rest of my dorm knew Stratos back then, and you would’ve understood my scepticism.  However in that same year Stratos became the most improved academic in the house, and started off his DJing career. I was bowled over by the change that had occurred in Stratos, and that little poster has stuck in my mind at every party or celebration. Making me think, ok if I’m going big now, I guess I’ll just have to work just as hard next week.

The next lesson is linked to my initial scepticism of Stratos and his ability to work hard. In grade 10 about third term, I heard my epic group, KB was in it. My initial reaction was to think, “Oh no, this isn’t gonna go well.” And I talked to a family friend about it at a dinner that same weekend. Our family friend who is a vet then told me something that I at first didn’t think of too deeply, he said: “Never underestimate anybody, and never put limits on what you think someone can do.” The year went on and finally Epic began. At first KB suffered and wasn’t able to complete the hike. However on our next hike, our solo hike, our group got lost, so lost in fact that we ended up hiking 18kms instead of 8. People naturally began to break down; a few members sat down and cried at one point. I watched KB though, he didn’t even flinch. He steadily put one foot in front of the other until we got to the area where we set up camp. It was there that he took of his boots. KB had walked the entire day with blisters the size of small golf balls on his feet. The next day we had to force him to go back to base camp along with another member of our group, who had given up purely because he was being a woes. It was then that I realised how true my family friend was. I underestimated KB, I thought he was walking slowly and in pain because he was just being lazy. KB was in so much pain but he still managed to hike the entire way. What KB did that day was truly inspirational and I’ll never limit what I think someone is capable of ever again.

Finally the last lesson I’ve learnt was earlier this year. All of you were there on sports day or relay sports. Birt house was winning the senior 800m relay by at least 50m, and Cai Nebe was their next runner. Cai had left White House in grade 9 and was an accomplished runner. Our next runner was Foxy. Foxy by that stage was frothing at the mouth, pointed at Cai and said: “I’m coming for you.” Foxy started over 100m behind and won by 20m. That moment stuck with me, and always will do. I wasn’t impressed by Foxy’s fitness; I wasn’t impressed by how fast Foxy ran. I was impressed by what Foxy’s mind forced his body to do. Truly what Foxy did that day is testament to the fact that there is no greater muscle in your body than your mind. There is no substitution for pure determination. Talent will only get you so far. Determination and hard work has no limits.

Some of you may be wondering now what this has to do with Academics. Well it’s got everything to do with academics. Your marks are always a reflection of how hard you work. Just as you put one foot in front of the other when hiking a mountain, you can also do one example after another. Just as you pursue first place in a race, you can also pursue your goals academically. If you put your mind to it, you will do it. Thomas Edison once said that ‘success is 10% inspiration, 90% perspiration’.

I hope that in this speech I have given you some of that 10% the rest is up to you.