To follow is the speech delivered by Katie Mulholland, Dux of 2013, at the Academic Blues Awards ceremony on 5 April -

Kia ora everybody. It has been 6 years since I was sitting in those exact seats so it would be more than fair to say that time has flown, faster even than an early morning assembly! First of all let me start by congratulating all of you today who are receiving awards – for each of you these blues may mean different things: some of you might be relieved, for others it may come as a surprise. No matter whether today congratulates your achievements or not, today I am here to talk to you all about goals – setting, achieving and failing goals.

I would have been year 13 when many of you were still at primary school, and a lot has changed for me, except for perhaps the curls. I am currently a trainee intern which is the final year of medical school where the big scary world of work starting and study ending is approaching. This year is a busy one –I hope to work in 4 different hospitals, graduate and sign my name as a doctor, get my first pay cheque, as well as study overseas at Oxford. Many of these are goals that are finally coming to fruition, however on the way to meeting these, it would be fair to say that I have met an equal number of challenges and failures.

So let’s break it down into 4 key steps.

Step 1. Goal setting

I once heard this quote and I think it’s a fantastic one to live by… “Aim for the moon and if you miss, you’ll land amongst the stars.” The trick is to not set goals that are too easy to achieve, but never be limited in your horizons. The only difference between a goal and a dream is the application of yourself… So never think ‘I won’t ever be able to do that.’

I think its really important to set goals at every stage of your life – whether you are year 7 or 13 or beyond. Columba College offers a huge range of opportunities and there’s no one to blame but yourself for not seizing them.

I once got bullied for being a “try hard”, and it is only now that I can look back and think it was they who were wrong. Regret is a huge thing, and confidence can be hard to obtain especially with teenage hormones wrecking havoc. Trying hard really only shows that you have ambition, and makes you feel all the greater when you achieve something. At least then you can never think “what if…”. After all, great things never came from comfort zones.

Step 2. Define your goal.

Goals can be divided into short term and long term… goals that you can achieve this year and goals that may take a lifetime to achieve. I like to think of these as things I want to accomplish now, vs my bucket list items. Its like saying – this year I want to be part of the school musical, and in 10 years on Broadway. Use the supports around you at Columba while you have them. Goals doesn’t have an I in it – you don’t have to do it alone.

Goals can and should be used in all aspects of your life, not just those that are measurable at school. Academic goals are important, as are cultural and sporting… not to mention how useful it is to start thinking about your CV early. For some of you it may be winning an athletic cup, for others it might be running the entire cross country course without walking this year and both of these are equally admirable.

The “unmeasurable” goals as I like to call them, are also something to consider. I’m not saying go and write a list of how to perfect yourself, but maybe think about other things outside of Columba which are important e.g. making friends outside of school so you have someone to ask to the formal, learning how to budget so that you can survive later on a student loan, or even cooking a meal for your family. In light of the recent events in Christchurch maybe it is to learn about a new culture or include someone new.

Step 3. Achieve your goals.

The Columba College motto ‘Gratia et Disciplina Bona’ (grace & good discipline) fits in perfectly with how to achieve goals. No one likes a show-off – accept your achievements with grace. Equally to achieve a goal you need good discipline - don’t decrease the goal – increase your effort. Sometimes it can be hard waiting for a goal to be achieved… the hours of studying, training or rehearsing. That’s why it’s important to not wait until you reach your goal to reward yourself. Be proud of each step you take. For me I like to have at least one really great thing happening each week e.g. going to the beach on a Saturday with friends, or having a nice dinner out. And this gives me the motivation mid-week to keep trucking on.

Step 4. Be prepared for when goals don’t come easily.

Arguably the hardest part of goals, is when you don’t achieve them… and it can be really hard to turn this around into a positive. It is hard to fail, but it is harder never to have tried to succeed. What I’m trying to say is – give everything a go and never stop trying. For instance – the girls today stepping onto stage to receive a blue are being remembered for their academic success, not the maths test they may have failed 2 years ago.

I’ll leave you with the final words of Winston Churchill, someone who set, achieved and failed goals himself. “Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”

As-salamu alaykum. Peace be upon you.