High 5 – 3rd February 2017 by Mr Tan Kian Beng

Good morning, Mdm Tan, Mr Lee and Mr Chung. Good morning, teachers and all Gessians.

Today in my Hi 5, I would like to share with you a short story title “The Old Man on the Moon” which is about willingness to learn and persistence.

From an early age, Parker always said that he would be an astronaut. But no matter how much he studied, worked, and took tests, he was never selected. Finally, he grew over the maximum age for taking the selection tests. He would never be able to fulfill his dream.

People thought about all the time and effort Parker had put into trying to be an astronaut, and they felt sorry for him. Despite what he was told about having to abandon his ambition, Parker continued training and studying, as though he was going to sit the tests next month.

He carried this on as he got older, and when he was a very old man he heard that they were doing some very important medical experiments. For those experiments they needed a very old astronaut. Parker, who now walked with a stick, was the only old man in the whole world who was trained to fly in a rocket. So, when no one expected it, Parker found himself flying in space, all in the aid of science. The knowledge gained during those missions helped to cure one of the worst sicknesses for old people, and Parker was celebrated as a hero.

Photos of the astronaut with a walking stick and no teeth spread all over the world, and became a symbol of how you can never train or learn too much. It showed that persistent effort always brings reward, even though that reward may not be in the form we had first expected.
Source: https://freestoriesforkids.com/children/stories-and-tales/old-man-moon

Persistence is probably one of the most admirable characters a person can possess. It’s the ability to be determined to do or achieve something regardless of any setbacks. Many have the capacity to set goals and plans toward success, yet only few succeed, because only few stick to work on their goals and plans until they are accomplished.

Developing persistence is a master skill to success. It is easier to relax and do nothing, or just live in our comfort zone, rather than face the uncertainty and discomfort of working towards our goals. Plus, the idea of potential failure and hardship is unbearable for some people.

But if you want to create change in your life and achieve success, now is the time to develop and master persistence. Here are six (6) ways to help you develop persistence:

– Identify Your Wants and Desires
(List down all your desires and wants, no matter how impossible they are to achieve in the moment)
– Determine Your Motivation
(Motivation comes from a deep reason why we want to achieve or have something, it gives you more energy to keep moving)
– Outline Your Definite Action Step
(These steps are necessary to know how you will be able to achieve what you want.)
– Keep a Positive Mental Attitude
(Keep your thoughts focused on taking action towards your goals)
– Build Your Mastermind Group
(A Mastermind Group comprises people who can give you unbiased judgments and who have positive mental attitude, and who can help you succeed and achieve your goal.)
– Develop Discipline and Habit
(Upholding discipline and good habits can help you stay the course, even despite difficulties.)

Source: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/6-effective-ways-to-become-persistent.html

Gessians, may I wish all of you another fruitful day in school and a meaningful and memorable weekend ahead. ONWARD GESSIANS!