Take it Easy
Nina admits a love of outdated rock music in a bid to encourage her fellow students to cut themselves some slack and enjoy the learning process.
Each week, our student leaders share their insights with their peers in Assembly.
I’ve been told that I have an interesting taste in music, which has often been compared to that of an old man, which I think is completely unfair. Come on, the Eagles totally rock!
I get that 1970s country rock isn’t for everyone, but there is one Eagles line that is applicable (particularly at this time of the term when stress is so common in the Senior College area of West Commons): “Take It easy, take it easy. Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.”
Being Renaissance women in the learning environment of Wenona, I think we have a tendency to feel stressed. There is an inherent desire within us to strive for perfection, to achieve something more; anything less seems like the end of the world.
We’ve all heard the line “Your harshest critic is always going to be yourself”, but what joy do we get from criticising our work and causing unnecessary stress? Think about it, don’t you think the most fun comes from how much we’ve enjoyed the process, and how much we’ve learnt along the way? So, let’s cut ourselves some slack.
Don’t get me wrong. By taking it easy, I don’t mean that the result isn’t important at all. But rather than interpreting the result as the “be-all and end-all”, let’s try to live more, love more, and laugh more in the process.
Think about the Class of 2024’s Year 9 camp in 2021, when it was so wet, we had to go home early. Yes – the entire time, the skies were grey and the rain poured. But when six of my friends sat in one tent and played cards by the light of a single torch, our “roaring laughter” was louder than the thunder and rain and could be heard across the entire campsite. The weather did not matter at all because we were so in the moment.
At the end of the day, I just want to remind you to stop putting so much pressure on yourselves and enjoy School for the fun of the learning process. Hopefully, my “old man” taste in music might remind you in this time of stress to “Take it easy, take it easy. Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.”