Pursuing Dreams and Goals
July is one of my favourite times of year with the inspiration of both the Tour de France and Wimbledon. These iconic sporting events are arguably the pinnacles of the cycling and tennis calendars and the stuff of dreams and legends.
At Wimbledon this year, Australian Dylan Alcott claimed his second quad wheelchair title following victories at the Australian Open and French Open and Ash Barty, Ipswich local and ambassador for Greater Springfield, achieved her childhood dream of winning the women’s singles title.
Ash is not only accomplished on the court but admired for her humble and articulate presentation through the media to the global community. Some of her responses to the post-match press conference provide insight into her attitude and food for reflection for us and for our young people as they set out in pursuit of their own dreams and goals:
“I have worked so hard my whole career with my team, and with the people that mean the most to me, to try and achieve my goals and dreams”
“Australians have such a rich history in sport and I think being able to be a very small part of that is something that I have always dreamt of – trying to create a legacy, trying to create a path for young girls and boys to believe in their dreams and being able to kind of live through that and learn my lessons along the way has been some of the best parts of my journey I think to be successful here at Wimbledon to achieve my biggest dream has been absolutely incredible”
“Everything happens for a reason – the good moments and the tough moments and being able to learn from both of them equally is really important as a person and especially as an athlete to understand that there is always learning from every match, from every experience, that you need to learn from, that there is an opportunity for growth.”
“Being open to that growth is a massive part of my life both personally and professionally and it’s a massive part of my team as well. Allowing ourselves to have open conversations, allowing ourselves to have open communication, sometimes when it’s hard conversations is a big one as well. It’s about trusting each other.”
“I’ve just tried to live by my values that my parents instilled in me. It is more important to be a good person than it is a good tennis player. That’s always my priority, making sure that I am a good human being and being able to learn from my parents and my siblings and my family was a massive part of my upbringing. I was just extremely lucky that I was able to have an opportunity to learn to play the game of tennis. I think being a good human being is absolutely my priority every single day.”
Some points I take away from listening to her speak – you may well have others…
- Ash has an attitude of gratitude, being thankful for the opportunities and support that she has had to accomplish her goals.
- She has perspective, a sense of place and belonging in history and culture, including, for example, as an indigenous Australian, in the global tennis community, in the history of both Australian sport and international tennis. She has been inspired by Evonne Goolagong Cawley who won the same title 50 years ago. She has a healthy understanding of her own identity and ability within these much larger contexts. Accordingly, she has an authentic humility, and both respects her elders and is mindful of assisting those who are younger.
- She has a growth mindset and considers it to be essential personally and professionally. She is always learning and growing stronger through both the good and the bad.
- She makes the most of the expertise of others. While tennis may appear to be an individual sport – she did win a ‘singles’ title – she has a full appreciation of ‘her team’ within which there is not just expertise but a high degree of trust.
- Her family has given her a solid foundation in values, and she considers being a good person to be more important than being a good tennis player. She is determined and hard working.
I hope our young people have been watching and listening and have been inspired by Ash’s accomplishments but even more so by the personal qualities that have contributed profoundly to her success and global influence and made her parents and her fellow Australians all very proud.
We won’t all be Wimbledon Champions, but we can all be like Ash in developing the attitudes and qualities that got her there and then using them to pursue the dreams and goals that we dare to hold and that inspire us.
Bring on Term 3, I say! There are things to be learnt!
Thank you God for who you have made us to be, who we are becoming, for the capabilities and gifts that we have been given, for the unique light we each bring into this world, for the care of our families and the communities of which we are a part, for the inspiration we find in the world around us and the opportunities we have daily before us. Help us to make the most of them.
Craig Schmidt
Principal
