A journey is defined as the process of getting from one place to another. Each of us ventures out onto a new journey everyday, although my journey will never be the same as yours, nor will yours ever be the same as mine. It is the journeys we take that shape us into who we are and more importantly who we want to be.

OBHS has been my journey for the last 4 years and along the way I have succeeded highly and failed miserably. Today I would like to share with you my top five tips on how to get the most out of your Otago Boys’ Journey.

My first tip is simple. Never say no. Quite often as young men we are guilty of playing it cool and letting opportunities pass us by because we think we are better than it or we want to make the same choices as everyone else. If something jumps out at you, don't let it slip. Grab onto it and don’t let go. Never say there's always next year, because that is not guaranteed.

Tip 2: Stay as hungry as the day you arrived. When I was in Year 10 I heard a last word. In it the prefect spoke about how he, like all boys in Year 9, would turn up to school at 8 o'clock simply because he wanted extra time to play rugby on the forecourt and hang out with his mates. He then compared Year 9 with his attendance in Year 13, when he would arrive at school right on the bell or sometimes even after. Along this journey I have also found my passion for this place to waver at times too. However I have also come to realise that time moves so quickly that before you know it, the years at OBHS are coming to an end. You look back on all that was in front of you and think. "If only I knew."

Tip 3: What type of a journey would it be if we didn’t fail? And this brings me to my third tip, perseverance. One of our school values perseverance, is defined as the ability to keep moving forward to achieve a goal regardless of the struggles and stumbles we may face. Since the start of my OBHS journey there have times that I didn’t achieve what I wanted to achieve; I didn’t get the marks I wanted or didn’t make the team I wanted to make. I have to confess that at times it has been a struggle to keep moving forward towards my goals and maintain perseverance. However this is when I dug deep and looked towards my brothers, teachers, coaches and family for support. Through failure I have become stronger, learned more about myself and what I am capable of. Then when those moments have come and I did achieve those goals, all the effort and perseverance was worth it!!

Tip 4: Appreciate what you have and who you are, as that is what makes you unique. OBHS is a competitive environment. Everyone wants to be the best and achieve the most . There have been moments when I compare myself to my peers and I think, "if only I was a little bit taller. If only I was a little bit faster and maybe even a little bit smarter." Then I stumbled across this story.

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots. Each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her shoulders. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

The moral of this story is that we all have “cracks”, imperfections and flaws, but these are what make us unique. We have two options: we can be miserable and spend our times worrying about our imperfections and how we are not good enough, or, like the woman in the story we can focus on all the positives we have to offer.

My fifth and final tip for my journey at OBHS is that although the faces may change, the colours remain the same. And it is our job, whilst we wear this crest and the hoops to uphold the honour of past generations and set an example for the future. 

Remember every great journey starts with a single step, make yours today.