By Jim Kingstone
In July, my nephew said, “Uncle Jim, I wasted my time in the spring. I could have been doing so much and I didn’t do anything. I was angry and sad and just pathetic, but in the Fall, I’m going to be different. I'm going to kill it.”
Three groups seem to have emerged in the confusion and challenge of the pandemic: the strivers and thrivers, the strugglers who nonetheless have coped, and the rest. Which are you? Be honest. If you dug a hole for yourself and crawled into it back in March or April, know that about yourself and start making changes.
As schools re-open and a second wave looms, what are the prospects for success for high-school seniors? Who will flourish?
James Lane Allen said that “adversity doesn’t build character; it reveals it.”
Build a team of people to provide support, encouragement, guide changes you want to make, promote improvements, and celebrate your wins and advances
Wear your mask with style and confidence
Invest in yourself: Use what I call the 7-7 check-in for framing and evaluating productivity: at 7 am write down the 3 things you will accomplish that day; at 7pm review your list, checking off what you accomplished; what you didn’t complete goes on the next day’s list. Be honest with yourself: productivity begins with honesty.
Read widely and with greater care and depth: Line by line, paragraph by paragraph, page by page; see this TedTalk for help in achieving your most ambitious goals.
Get daily exercise, pushing yourself to stretch your limits with hard physical effort, even without the gym
Practise honesty with yourself by asking yourself these questions: In what way did I grow today? How did I make the world a better place today? How am I a good friend?
We all have the same number of hours in the day; it’s how we fill those hours with purpose and meaning that will give us back our best version of our self with satisfaction and a sense of fulfillment.
Jim Kingstone's work experience spans decades and disciplines at several top schools. Heading departments of English and Guidance Counselling, coast to coast, Jim has worked at Kings-Edgehill in Nova Scotia, The Webb Schools in Claremont, California, and several independent schools on Vancouver Island, including Shawnigan, Brentwood, Aspengrove and St. Michaels University School in Victoria, BC, where he is currently a university counsellor and academic advisor. With a wide-screen view of educational opportunity and a flexible and creative perspective on student learning and promise, Jim has helped hundreds of students successfully navigate and negotiate the complex challenges of university admission. As a career English teacher, he is especially adept at assisting students in gaining firm control of the variety of writing demands associated with applying to top-tier schools in Canada, the US and Europe.