The importance of winning… it’s not about the end result... it’s about the process of getting that result.

The importance of winning… it’s not about the end result... it’s about the process of getting that result.

Good morning.

Energy- Before I begin, I want to gauge the energy level of this room... if you are feeling full of energy and ready to take on the week please sit up straight with your spine up against the chair, if you are feeling low and not quite ready, please slouch in your chair.

Thank you. When I was asked to speak to you this morning, I thought I should consulate my classes to find out what they wanted me talk about: This is what they said:

·???????Grade 8s- anything about sport, sir, this section of work we are doing now sir, the Russia and Ukraine situation sir

·???????Grade 10s- history, confidence in yourself after you are dropped. Accountability- when you achieve your goal and to keep motivated

·???????Grade 11s – after a few seconds of silence... rugby sir, behind the scenes of the film, life of an athlete after retirement, keeping motivated when you are tired.

I then came to the conclusion that Bishops students are well-schooled on several topics and it would only make sense for me to speak about something I am passionate about. That is… The importance of winning… it’s not about the end result... it’s about the process of getting that result. And it’s around a pencil..

Pen License- I grew up in a small farming town called Addo in the Eastern Cape and went to Sunday’s River Primary School. In this school we had about 25 students in a class, and we had this challenge where the teacher would give you your pen license based on how neat your handwriting was because obviously writing in pencil was ideal because as you could erase your work if it was untidy or had mistakes. In that class of 25 students in Grade 4 I was one of two who had yet to receive their pen license... until I was the last person standing without a license and that’s because Cindy’s Mom made a fuss and complained to the teacher that she was deserving of a pen license...

Now it’s random that I stand here and tell you about a pen license but bear with me... I went home that day and told my Mom what happened and that Cindy’s Mom had complained and that she got her pen license. So, I kind of said to my Mom, you know Mom you are slacking as a parent here... just complain to the teacher and I will get my pen license… My Mom looked at me and said this. My boy do you want me to get you something even when you are not deserving of it? I’ve held that question dearly to me and it somehow has shaped the way I look at things… I would only be deserving of winning that pen license if I went through the process... and to be honest my Maths wasn’t great so having the ability to erase it consistently actually worked for me.

?Podcast- Well, the question is how do you win the process to get the result or in my case the pen license? Here are my suggestions... I listen daily to the High-Performance Podcast hosted by Jake Humphrey and Prof Damian Hughes. What I love about this podcast is the variety of guests they have on the show. Gareth Southgate, Siya Kolisi, Pippa Grange, Bear Grylls, Vicky Pattison, Dan Carter and Grace Beverly to name a few.

They always open the podcast with... What is high performance? And end the podcast with a few quick-fire questions and one of those questions is what are your three non-negotiable behaviors to achieve a high-performance life?

What interests me are the answers that the guests mention when answering these two questions. The common answer to the first question of what is high-performance… it’s giving total effort in every moment, to be adaptable, being true to yourself.

The other question I love is what are the three non-negotiable behaviors to achieve a high-performance life... the guests speak about being reliable, being consistent, being resilient, showing integrity, and what really gets me interested is how the guests speak about actioning these behaviors. I’ve spent time studying these podcasts and unpacking these conversations and it’s evident that the guest talk about the process… the process to winning. The process of actioning these non-negotiable behaviors which is winning.?

Personal to the boys...

When we think of high performance, we think of winning as achieving 25 points to 20 but how much do we in this Chapel focus on the process of achieving that win? Do we rest when we need to rest? Do we practice when we need to practice? Do we study when we need to study? Do your behaviors in the process reflect someone who wants to win? For me the process from pencil to pen is what I needed to win, I didn’t need to win the pen I needed to win the process and put in the practices to achieve it.

Conclusion- As I conclude I challenge you to ask yourself where you are at this morning? Have you allowed yourself to be the best you can be this term? Are you sitting straight up on that chair? If you have found yourself struggling in academics, not scoring runs on the cricket field, not hitting your notes in the music block, finding yourself with several demerits... have you been the best you can be in order to win? Have you earned your pen license?

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