Each week for the next few weeks, we will be profiling a member of the Dunstan Manukura and sharing their assembly message with our school community. At our last assembly on the 4th March we heard from our Head Boy for 2026, Harper Donnelly.
I’m Harper Donnelly, your head boy, and I will be sharing with you a lesson that I brought back from my trip to Mount Aspiring with the Pyke Year 10s about how in order to grow you have to challenge yourself and be uncomfortable.
Everyone avoids discomfort, we are taught to ‘not fail’ which means staying safe and not leaving our comfort zone. But most meaningful changes come from moments we find challenging or don't enjoy.
I, and many others that went to camp faced many uncomfortable situations that we aren’t familiar with. For some, it was being away from home, for others, it was being disconnected from the rest of the world, for me it was helping out lead a large group of students for the whole week.
But what really is discomfort?
Discomfort is that awkward feeling, being out of place. I feel uncomfortable right now, doing this speech in front of a whole school. But I also know that when I walk away from this, I’ll have learned something and grown as a person.
Growth through discomfort doesn't need to be something as big as speaking to a whole school, it can be something as small as talking to a stranger, trying out for a team, or asking for help, which I know can be hard for some, and easy for others, but it's still growth. Starting small is better than not starting at all.
And the most important thing to remember is that you don't have to be alone, everyone goes through times of discomfort, the person next to you, the teachers, everyone. Ask for help. It's not a weakness, it's a sign that you are right where you need to be.
It won't always feel so hard, the more you do it, the more comfortable you get, and over time what used to feel impossible feels normal.
So put yourself out there and in those uncomfortable situations, because choosing comfort is choosing to stay the same.