Dear Type A’s
As we head towards the final assessment stage of semester one it is tempting to buy into the straight HDs hysteria. I should know, because I normally do.
However after three years of disappointment from falling short of ‘practically perfect’ (Mary Poppin’s ain’t real people) this time around has been different. Perhaps it is being on the verge of becoming a sagacious post-graduate or maybe it is just because all the 21st celebrations have finally caught up with me, but I cannot seem to muster the gut wrenching anxiety over what I will or will not achieve. Its mysterious disappearance is most plausibly explained by a recent tutorial discussion.
We were asked: who do we write and study for? Surely not for a two- digit number at the end of July and December or a piece of paper and fancy ceremony – though those silky robes do look extremely comfortable. Completely going off stereotypical type A characteristics, if you do not study for the grades, the envy and esteem of yours peers and family then what for?
After long nights spent with the MBA referencing system, it is easy to over look the simple joy and privilege that is learning. Of course good results are something to be proud of. Yet, so is any effort, no matter the scale, that is made to learn new and different things about yourself and the world in which we live. In retrospect, the most memorable experiences I have had at Monash come from trying and failing and trying again. As with most wonderful and tricky things in life, every mind-to- word attempt will always be a ‘work in progress’.
So as the blank page starts to seem obnoxiously spartan, remember that you can only give it your best shot and try to learn from it.
More than not from falling short, you often fall forward.
