Take 5: 11th May 2015 by Mr Keith Lim

Good morning Mdm Tan, Mr Lee, Mr Tan, fellow colleagues and all GESSians. I am sure that everyone here has met obstacles at some point in our lives. We also have goals that we would like to achieve. However, obstacles are part of the journey to success. Many of us may be frightened by some of these obstacles and might not be able to overcome them. The true ‘monster’ is not the obstacle itself but our fear and our lack of a proper strategy to overcome the obstacle. Since all of you are preparing for the mid-year exam, I would like to share with you my experience and some tips. Please take out your pen and GESS Life Booklet and write down the title Five Steps to Overcome Obstacles.

Firstly we must have visions and dreams. Please write down the phrase ‘visions and dreams’. Our visions and dreams will keep us going even in the event of obstacles. I came from a Mandarin speaking family and the English Language was my weakest subject in my secondary school days. I felt very stressed and sad as I seemed not able to improve my English grade no matter how hard I try. I even failed English for my secondary 3 mid-year exam. However, I held onto my vision of having a good command of English and that was what kept me going.

Secondly, we have to seek help and be humble. Please write down the phrase ‘seek help and be humble’. We know we have true humility when we are honest to ourselves about our own weaknesses. It takes humility to take responsibility for our own weaknesses and seek help from the appropriate people. It hurt my pride when I failed English when most of my subjects were getting A’s and B’s. However, I had a very encouraging English teacher who also taught me Social Studies. I remembered her commenting that I could not write stories. As she continued to coach me, I realised that she wanted me to recognise that I was better at writing essay types other than narratives.

Thank you.

Onward!