The Lowe-Down

I wouldn’t normally offer this much direct advice in a post, but this piece is an amalgamation of thoughts I shared at various school events at the start of the year. Feel free to take it or leave it as you please.

 The start of a new year always comes with a mix of emotions. Some of us are ready to dive in, eager to set new goals and embrace fresh opportunities. Others are still in holiday mode, wondering how the time disappeared so quickly. And some are already counting down to the next break.

No matter how you’re feeling, one thing is true for all of us: the ‘you’ sitting here today is not the finished product. Who you are now is just one version of you, and over time, that version will change.

Every challenge you face, every new thing you try, every lesson you learn (including the ones learned the hard way) will shape the person you become. The question is: who do you want that person to be?

Know Yourself

One of the biggest challenges in life is learning to know yourself – to understand what drives you, what drains you, and what helps you grow.

It’s easy to go through the year on autopilot, just getting through the next task, the next meeting, the next responsibility. But if you don’t take time to reflect on who you are and what you need, you can find yourself overwhelmed before you even realise it.

In the New Testament, in the second letter of Peter, the author writes:

“Because you have these blessings, do all you can to add to your life these things: to your faith add goodness; to your goodness add knowledge; to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add patience; to your patience add devotion to God; to your devotion add kindness toward your brothers and sisters in Christ, and to this kindness add love.” (2 Peter 1:5-7)

In these words, we’re encouraged to build on what we already have, adding qualities like patience, kindness, and love as we grow. That’s not something that happens overnight. It takes time, reflection, and a willingness to learn.

This year, I encourage you to check in with yourself. What do you want to improve? What do you want to hold onto? And just as importantly, what do you need to let go of?

Know What You Have to Offer

In John’s Gospel, we read the story of Jesus feeding a crowd of over 5,000 people. Faced with a hungry crowd, Jesus told his disciples to feed them. The disciples panicked: “We’d need months of wages to buy enough food!” But then a boy stepped forward with five loaves and two fish – not much, but it was something. And that small offering became more than enough.

It’s easy to feel like what we bring to the table isn’t enough. We compare ourselves to others and think, I’m not as smart as them. I’m not as talented. I don’t have what they have. But the truth is, you do have something to offer.

The other day, I was feeling weary after a long stretch of work when a colleague walked past, dropped a small chocolate bar next to my laptop, and said, “That might help keep you going.” It was such a simple act, but it made a difference – because someone noticed, and they acted.

This year, you will have countless opportunities to offer something to others. A kind word. A helping hand. A moment of encouragement when someone needs it. These small things might seem insignificant, but they add up. They matter.

So instead of asking What do I lack? ask yourself: What do I have to give?

Be Willing to Sacrifice

The truth is anything worthwhile comes with a cost.

Maybe this year, you want to achieve something big – improve your skills, take on a new challenge, grow as a person. But growth requires effort. It means giving up time, stepping out of your comfort zone, and sometimes doing the hard thing when you’d rather take the easy way out.

When Jesus told his disciples to feed the crowd, Philip’s first response was panic. He saw the cost, the difficulty, the impossibility of the situation. But what Philip didn’t realise was that the burden wasn’t on him alone.

There will be moments this year when things feel too hard, when the workload seems too much, when the pressure is real. But just like in that story, you’re not doing this alone. You have people around you – friends, family, mentors – who are here to help. And if you’re willing to put in the effort, if you’re prepared to sacrifice some comfort for growth, you may be surprised by what you can achieve.

Who Will You Be at the End of This Year?

So as we step into this year, ask yourself:

• What do I need to pay attention to in myself?
• What do I have to offer?
• What am I willing to sacrifice to grow?

Because when we look back in December, I hope we can all say that we’ve become more than just a better version of our old selves – we’ve become people who notice, who give, who grow, and who bring something good into the world.

So welcome to a new year. Make it one that shapes the ‘you’ of tomorrow.