Getting by or getting ahead is a choice we all must make at points in our life.
It strikes us that there is a marked difference between the two mindsets and often those differences show up at a young age. On one hand a person can do the minimum to keep a job or make it through school. This we would think of as getting by.
For those interested in advancing their personal well-being there is the option of getting ahead. That requires effort and not falling into the trap of coasting or losing focus. Age doesn’t seem to matter in this pursuit, but for young people we can see it is a tough challenge to excel while distractions abound.
Students in Ontario secondary schools have to perform at least 40 hours of community service to graduate. This week we were glad to see two high school students recognized for going above and beyond and providing a great example of kids not happy just getting by. They excelled.
Alan Negrin accumulated nearly 3,250 hours and Kali Hodgson closed in on 3,000 hours of volunteer time. Full details of their accomplishment are contained in an article in this week’s Advertiser on page 2.
While we are sure there are many other examples of students going above and beyond minimum requirements, achieving a time total almost 80 times more than required is simply incredible.
Although fears abound about what the next generation will accomplish or how they will cope with what the future brings, hard-working dedicated students make us a bit more hopeful.
Time is such a limited commodity, it’s up to all of us to make the most of every day – it’s the only way to get ahead.
