Aspiration
“With our aspirations, we find our opportunities,” said Ray Leonard, the successful American boxer.
But what does aspiration really entail? The Oxford Dictionary definition of aspiration is “a dream or ambition of achieving something significant”, but aspiration is a much more complex term than this and can best be described with an example.
An example of aspiration that I heard many times throughout my childhood as a Hungarian, is the story of Álmos, the great Hungarian leader, the man from whose name, the Hungarian word for dream originates. Álmos was born to a Hungarian noble and from a young age aspired to lead his people to a better place to live, as the current region the Hungarians occupied was very inhospitable. When he grew up, Álmos convinced the seven chiefs of the Hungarians that his aspiration was of noble intent and would bring terrific rewards. Thus, Álmos led the Hungarians in the late ninth century on a treacherous journey to the Carpathian Basin, to the fertile and peaceful lands where the Hungarians would settle and create a country that is still around today.
The story of Álmos shows us that we should aspire to achieve something of note, that not only helps you develop but also helps others develop. Moreover, it shows us that we should not give up on our aspirations when the going gets tough, but rather we should carry on in the hope of achieving something great as if you aim for the moon, you still fall amongst the stars if you fail.
But what does this mean for me?, some of you may ask. It means that as RGS boys we should all aspire to achieve something of note whether that means winning an academic award or becoming the captain of a sports team or accomplishing something during our extracurricular activities. We should all aim to constantly develop ourselves, and by taking advantage of all the opportunities that we are given and never resting on our laurels, we can aim to become the best version of ourselves and have a positive impact along the way.
Thus, I ask you all to reflect on who you aspire to be and what you aspire to achieve so that you can make the most of your opportunities.
I would now like to leave you all with a quote from the American author H Jackson Brown. “Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than the one with all the facts.”
Boldi Paladi-Kovacs
Lower Sixth Form student