Living Up to Expectations Can Get You Down

For those who have known me over the past few years, you might be thinking, "Kimmy, you've got to be kidding. You're telling me you can sing in front of the whole school multiple times, but you're afraid to give a speech to the same audience?"

And the answer is yes—I would much rather sing a song than give a speech. Honestly, I even considered doing that.

So why am I so nervous about making a speech? Or really, why are we ever nervous? Why are we nervous before a test, a game, or speaking into a microphone?

At first, the answer seems simple: we are scared of failing, of doing poorly on tests, underperforming in games or cracking our voices while speaking. But the more I thought about it, I realized it's not just fear of failure. It's also the desire to meet expectations – expectations we may have forgotten were there but can never truly ignore. Some of these expectations come from ourselves and many come from others.

Take me as an example: I constantly feel expectations from my family. And don't get me wrong, these aren't the stereotypical, "Why aren't you a doctor yet?" type of expectations... maybe a little. Overall, my parents' expectations are loving and supportive. Yet somehow, even the loving ones can still feel pressuring. Teachers expect us to maintain good grades, teammates expect us to perform on the court, and friends expect us to always be there for them.

All of these expectations can feel overwhelming, and they make us nervous. Now, as I stand here delivering this speech, I want to meet other people's expectations. To make parents proud of me, to make my friends impressed, and most importantly, to show Mr. Marino that he made the right choice in selecting me as a prefect.

I try hard to meet these expectations, that's why they matter. They push us to work hard and keep improving. But when expectations pile up, they can turn into pressure. Too much pressure can make it hard to enjoy life and leave us uncertain about what we really want to achieve.

After all these years at Stanstead College, I've learned that it's okay to take a step back and leave some expectations behind. We spend a lot of time trying to meet the expectations of our family, teachers, teammates and friends, but sometimes it's better to focus on enjoying what we do rather than worrying about being perfect. So today, I stand here as someone who has lived through many expectations, offering a piece of advice: Sometimes, it's more important to accept that you don't have to be the best and that it's perfectly fine not to meet every expectation—even those set with the best intentions.

I'd like to end with a short quote that means a lot to me. It's from my best friend, who isn't at the school anymore. Whenever I felt stressed or overwhelmed by expectations, she would simply say, "As long as you're happy."

So no matter what expectations or pressure we face, at the end of the day, as long as you're happy, that's what matters most.