Some of you may already know me - we attend the same High School.

We all walk through the archway, through the same doors, up the same stairs, and even brush each other's shoulders as we walk between classes. But do you know everyone's names?

I’m going to take our big strong role model Year 13’s for an example. Most of them have been attending this school for 4 and a half years now. That's almost 900 days they have spent at this school, but do they know everyone's name? Let’s give you the benefit of the doubt and say you do, you can actually remember about 10,000 faces.

But do you talk to each other?

Do you all play together?

Do you even look at everyone equally?

I don’t think you do. Some of you may think “correct” but hopefully most of you are thinking “yes I do, I'm a good person” but no your not? How many of you will ask the closest person when you want to play at lunch? Because you used to. Boys whatever I say isn’t supposed to change you, but it could help you remember who you were.

I think a large majority of you have been a better version of yourself at some stage in your life. Yes, you may be a captain of a sports team, or have perfect attendance and grades. But are you the better man now, or when you were in kindergarten?

I think kindergarten to be honest. It was in kindergarten where we learned all the important things in life. As important as NCEA is:

1. did it teach you how to make friends,
2. teach you manners,
3. teach you to apologize,
4. teach you social skills,
5. and just the do’s and don'ts in life?

Back in kindergarten: boy, girl, size, shape colour, nothing mattered, we treated everyone exactly the same, no one was excluded. I bet you all can look back at someone and wonder how you were friends with him or her.

People tend to become less happy when they get older, so why do we change? When was it that you started creating your groups at lunch, and perhaps started judging people, in primary school? Or when you started high school?

Life is too precious to live unhappy. From the day you were a little defenseless baby, you brought joy to the world, from then you mimicked everything you saw growing up. At kindergarten you started to grow your personality and were becoming a perfect little man and life was good. You were happy and everyone around you was happy.

You may still have things that make you happy: money, opportunity, or even relationships. Unfortunately for a few of you boys, you and your crush are probably like parallel lines, they will never touch. But these are all temporary. Well hold on, relationships will make you happy, at least for those of you who aren't stuck in the parallel line stage. But that's just it, the word I’m about to share with you is possibly the most important thing ever said on this stage.

Just like relationships, true happiness comes from progress. Progress is the key to happiness. Just think about it. From the day you were born you continued to progress and everyone was happy. If you can continue to make progress on a regular basis we feel alive, that’s why at the beginning of the year we get this feeling like, ok I get a fresh start. I can do what my heart desires, I can expand, I can grow, improve or even change. No, not change progress.

Somebody isn’t going to change, people may say alright I’m going to change, but they don’t. Change is automatic. Everything around you changes, economy, weather, relationships, even your body changes but you don’t change, you need to progress.

Let’s think of it like paddling. As long as your paddling, you can ride out the wave. If you don’t, you're just sitting in the water.

Like I said before, your life is precious. You need to find your kindergarten self and remember the only real important things you’ve learnt. Because that’s where a lot of us left our real happiness behind. But more importantly, progressing relates to everything you do, what is that for you?

As John Lennon once said, “Count your age by friends, not years, count your life by smiles not tears”.