Learning From Mistakes
This week’s Prefect speech comes to us from Messiter House Captain, Lucy, who recounts how she learnt from several driving mishaps and used them to better herself.
Each week, our Student Leaders share their insights with their peers in Assembly.
In the 韩国AV community, we all play our part. Some of us excel in academics, others in arts, and then, there are those, like me, whose talents lie elsewhere; far, far, far away from the driver's seat.
However, I believe it is important to acknowledge our weaknesses with humility and surround ourselves with people who will lift up these inabilities and who are there to support us through it all. My close friends know this all too well, as it takes an army to help me park my car properly. My friend, Tessa, sits in the passenger seat and guides me through each turn of the steering wheel while I am on the verge of tears, and then there's Grace, who appreciates this hazard and parks my car for me!
In celebrating our weaknesses, we don't glorify failure. Instead, we acknowledge the courage it takes to confront our limitations, recognising the strength required to persevere despite them, and the kindness shared by people aiding our struggles.
These little acts of kindness can be found everywhere in everyone. An example of this was when I was driving the wrong way up a street with a blind corner in Paddington, not realising it was one-way. I stopped and accepted my approaching death as cars drove at me. I can laugh now, however, I was crying then. This was until a woman knocked on my passenger door to let me know I was going the wrong way. Instead of abandoning me and laughing at my errors, she jumped in the car with me (a bold move as we didn’t know each other and I was disobeying every road rule), guided me out of the situation, calmed me down and let me know it would all be okay. Now, this isn't to say that she didn’t go home and laugh about it but in that moment, she provided me with the kindness and support I so desperately needed, celebrating to elevate my inability to drive!
You may be thinking I am done with these stories; well, you would be wrong. On the morning of my first Year 12 English task, I drove to the Ridge Street car park. As I was reciting my Merchant of Venice quotes, I misjudged my distance and side-swiped my car into a pole while going up a ramp. After eventually parking, Ms Rodgerson was standing there, telling me it would all be okay, that my sister wouldn’t be mad and that you could barely see the ‘little dent’. Unfortunately, that ‘little dent’ ended up with me having to buy a whole new car door, and I can't say my sister wasn't mad! However, Ms Rodgerson’s kindness and ability to calm me down is what I truly needed in that scenario, and without it, I wouldn't have found out about our shared love of steak sandwiches at a local café. So, I think I should take that little win.
My point is that despite these traumatic ordeals, I’ve realised that there are still ways I can grow and learn, rather than hide from my mistakes. Acknowledging that driving isn't my strong suit and accepting the help and advice from those around me means that one day, with plenty of practice, driving will cease to be something I dread.
We often celebrate victories – accomplishments that highlight our peaks; however, I believe that the moments of imperfection are the crucibles in which our character is formed. They teach us humility, resilience, and the invaluable lesson that our flaws do not define us.
Now, I am not telling you to crash your car to find out who your true friends are but to surround yourself with people who do not blame you for mistakes, and laugh at you for your imperfections and blemishes, who celebrate you and everything that makes you uniquely you.