A Student’s View
Weakness, what is it? A setback, a flaw, an imperfection. It’s the part of us we wish we could change, the part of us we wish we could hide. I always thought my disability was a weakness, but I was wrong. It’s my greatest strength.
There’s a sentence, I’m sure you’ve heard it, your parents will have, often they’re the ones who say it. You can be anything you want to be. Does that sound familiar?
Imagine your dream job. Your biggest passion. What would life be like living that way? Now, think about what’s preventing you from achieving that.
I have always loved music, the ability to take an audience to a whole new world just for a few minutes, to play with their emotions; make them laugh, make them cry, make them think. I started playing the flute when I was 7 years old, it was one of those events when a music company brings in instruments and you just have a go. I had no idea it would change my life. Performance after performance I gained confidence and before long, I was working my way through the grades.
It wasn’t easy, to tell you the truth I really struggled at times. I was bullied, impersonated, laughed at by my classmates. But through it all, my family and friends were always there supporting me, my teachers always there to lend a helping hand, my self-determination always picking me up, driving me forward.
There’s a saying that ‘we are all our worst critics’. We judge every single thing we do to the tenth degree and we cower in failure, give up when faced with doubt, so afraid of failing we refuse to try. But what good does that do.
Your disability is not who you are, that’s up to you.
Jack, written at age 20
