Ah Christmas! It’s such a wonderful time of year and brings back so many wonderful memories. Like the time I discovered Father Christmas’ secret identity – my own mother. Standing in the kitchen, wrapping presents and eating the cherries I’d set out for the reindeer. That was the tradition in Australia you see, not carrots.  And then there was my Father’s own personal Christmas tradition. Where other fathers would carve the turkey, wear silly hats and sing embarrassing songs while getting drunk, mine packed himself off on a cruise ship for three weeks mid-December and returned sometime around the New Year right after the festivities had stopped.
Good times. Good times.
But I’ll tell you what I didn’t do. I certainly didn’t spend my time in a school book, studying or learning. Nope, Christmas day was an excuse not to be learning, working or otherwise attending to my regular life as a boy. Even as I grew older, I maintained that tradition. Christmas was a time for other things. Mostly chaos, if I’m honest. All the wrapping presents. Unwrapping. Seeing visitors.  Making the dinner and so forth.
But when it was all done, and I could bask in the aftermath, I could enjoy a brief respite that allowed me to think and focus on what really mattered in life. Why I was doing whatever I did. What the point of it all was.
That’s why I would urge you this Christmas, to put aside your studies and give yourself a little break. Take a moment to relax and reflect on those things that make it all worthwhile. Think about your family, your career. What truly matters in your life and why it is you do what you do, be it work or study.
It’s very nice to think about education for educations sake, but lets be honest – this is a luxury. Most of our students are hoping to advance their careers or develop their skills and interests. And that’s why it’s so important throughout the course of your studies to constantly remind yourself why you’re doing the course you are.
Whether you might have chosen photography as a hobby, raising chickens as a part-time income or horticulture as a new career, you’ll be far more focused and enjoy more success if you can always stay focused on the reason you’re taking the course.  It’s important to have goals, so make sure you remind yourself what yours are.
Until next time a very merry Christmas to you all and a prosperous new year!
