Present in the Moment
Emmy, Year 11, encourages us to stop, take a breath, and appreciate what makes us content.
Every time I sit in Assembly and listen to the Prefect’s Address, I think about the message I would deliver to my peers if I was lucky to be given the opportunity. So, when I was asked to do this speech, I thought it would be easy to come up with a concept but it’s a lot harder than you think.
I sat in my room that evening thinking about what I would say but my mind was blank. Nothing came to me, which is crazy for someone who thinks a lot about everything going on around me. For the first time in what felt like a long time, I had no idea.
But like many great things, I found the answer on Spotify. My songs shuffled to one I hadn’t heard in a long time – immediately, I knew what I wanted to talk about. To quote John Lennon, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
Everybody expects to know what we are going to do with our lives and there is so much societal pressure to have everything figured out. We put so much pressure on ourselves, more than anyone else – to know which university to go to, what career path to take, and even things like doing well in our next maths exam.
When we do this, we forget to stop; take a breath, and appreciate how lucky we are.
We get down on ourselves about future problems and forget to appreciate how beautiful the sunset is, how nice it is to be able to go for a swim in the ocean, and how lucky we are that we can spend time with the people around us.
Now, I know this is ironic coming from someone who appears to have worked out her future, but to be honest, I’m just as clueless as the next person and plans can change just as quickly as they are made.
With that, I’m not saying it’s realistic to be happy and positive all the time, so many people are battling their own challenges, but we must not forget to appreciate the little parts every day that can brighten our week.
Something I have had to learn when life hasn’t always been kind is that it is up to me to do the things that make me happy – why not go out for breakfast, go for a walk with your dog or listen to your favourite song?
Take a break from being constantly buried in your books, because it is those valuable memories you will remember when you have graduated. You will never regret taking that walk on the beach, but you will regret not doing it.
Obviously, you must try to do your best at School because education is one of your biggest assets in life, and it’s a natural part of the human psyche to worry about tomorrow or the next day or the next ten years, trust me I understand. But please look after yourselves, value the family time you are so lucky to have, how delicious your dinner was, and try to see the positives in the precious things you experience every day. Spending time worrying about the past or future means you are missing out on the present.
A perfect life is unattainable, but perfect moments aren’t – so be present to enjoy them.
This week, I encourage you to take time to be grateful for the things that make you feel content, but also take some time away from worrying about what you are going to do and spend time on things that make you feel like the best version of yourself.
To finish, here’s a quote from the amazing Olivia Dean song, Time: “It’s up to me to spend my time.” It is up to you to spend your time and take control of your life. I believe in your ability to do things that make you happy. You are all beautiful and amazing.
This is an edited version of Emmy’s Assembly speech.