Habits of Mind: #1 PERSIST

At WHPS we continually face challenges – how we view them defines us! Do we choose to see the challenges as opportunities to persist and not give up?

If we choose to see them as obstacles, then the challenges we face will be viewed as problems – problems that need to be overcome along with all the negative connotations associated with problems.  A great deal of wasted energy can be spent focusing on a negative mind set – mind sets like “I can’t”, “I won’t”, “I don’t want to” and “I shouldn’t have too”.

So, what do we do?  We need encourage the boys to persist when things get tough. Try something new, use past experiences to guide us in new situations and to remember that it is okay to fail.

The boys returned from Camps full of stories about their adventures. Some of them faced sleeping away from home for the first time. Many of the boys faced personal challenges and fears when it came to high ropes, hiking, abseiling and obstacle courses. The one uniting factor was that they were all encouraged to persist by their teachers.

“Ambition is the ride to success, persistence is the vehicle.”