Kia Orana from the Deputy Principal's corner

Today we congratulate a number of students on their successes this week. Successes at school, in the classroom, at home, socially, on the sports field, James Hargest Exchange or during cultural activities. But how do we measure this success?

Since failures are something that most people tend to dread, I asked myself why people shy away from failure so much. Is it to do with our society’s perception of success? Do we measure success by the number of achievements we make? So, when someone fails, are they are made to feel like a failure? It is so important to understand that failures are actually part of the journey to success. 

Without failure, there can be no success; failure isn’t the opposite of success, it is an important part of the process of success. Many successful people have a history of failure behind them.

Take for example Steve Jobs, founder of Apple. He was once fired from his own company and was seen as a failure. However, instead of giving in to negative thoughts and giving up, he chose to try again.

Failures can be seen as lessons. When we fail, we often learn what didn’t work and what changes we need to make in order to achieve our desired result. This way, we can apply those lessons to our next attempts. We can use them as stepping stones to reach our goals. 

Failure also teaches us resilience. It teaches us to keep going despite setbacks and reminds us of our capacity to persevere and hold onto our dreams. It encourages us to take risks and to keep trying in the face of adversity, and this is how we learn to develop the strength to keep pushing ourselves forward. 

We must also remember that failure isn’t the end. We can always start again and that success is not guaranteed with our first attempt. We must always remember Albert Einstein’s famous quote: “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” 

So, 'failures' are an essential part of the success journey. It is a necessary step in the process and if we are willing to learn from our mistakes and keep going, we can eventually turn our failures into successes. So, let us have the courage to continue and push our limits until we reach our objectives.

Have an enjoyable weekend while you have success at something.

Belinda Hirst, Deputy Principal