The back-to-school period is always a good time to reflect on the importance of education and the direction our lives are taking.
Today I would like to share with you the three life lessons that Roger Federer, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, taught graduates of Dartmouth College in New Hampshire when they received an honorary doctorate this past spring.
First lesson
The first lesson that Roger Fédérer wanted to share with university graduates is this: “Nothing is easy in life; you have to work hard to improve.”
Hearing such comments from an athlete who had a phenomenal career may seem strange, to say the least. Everything seemed to go his way, year after year. He won 80% of his matches, 103 titles including 20 Grand Slams. He set a record of 237 consecutive weeks as world number one and won total purses of $130,594,339, not including sponsorships which also amount to hundreds of millions of dollars.
Yet, Roger Federer claims that “Nothing in life is easy.” What we need to understand in this statement is that to achieve performances like his, Federer was recognized on the circuit as one of the most dedicated, hard-working players, diligent on the tennis courts on a daily basis to work on improving his game, all this despite an extraordinary natural talent.
Second lesson
Federer’s second lesson in his talk read: “Life is full of ups and downs.”
When an athlete wins 80% of his matches during his career, I understand that there have been many more ups than downs. However, Federer knows what he is talking about when he refers to downs.
After his victory at Wimbledon in 2012, Federer would go five years without winning a major title. For a champion, this is not easy. In fact, in 2016, due to injuries, he would be absent from the courts for six months. Already, observers of the tennis world were developing retirement scenarios, claiming that by his mid-thirties, Federer had reached the end of his rope.
Yet a few months later, at the Australian Open in January 2017, Federer surprised everyone by winning. Other titles would follow before he finally retired in 2022, at the age of 42.
Third lesson
Becoming somewhat philosophical, Federer has a third lesson for new graduates: “Life is not just your job; be curious, educate yourself, be interested in philanthropy.”
Roger Federer became a professional player at the age of just 17. For 25 years, he devoted his life to playing tennis, his favorite sport.
Throughout his career, Federer has been involved in various causes to help people in need. It is true that his significant financial gains allowed him to be generous. But we all know wealthy people who are tight-fisted and who never show up when asked for a fundraising campaign.
In addition to devoting most of his life to tennis, Federer has taken advantage of his many travels around the world to take an interest in the fate of humans. Married to Mirka Vavrinec in 2009, the couple have four children: two twin girls and two twin girls.
Morals to remember
When we look at people who have been successful in their professional lives, we often tend to think that they were lucky. Well, no! Luck alone is not enough. Neither is talent.
To succeed in what you undertake, even if you are very talented, you have to know how to develop this talent and this does not happen without difficulty. It comes with hard work, discipline and perseverance. Throughout the journey, there will be more difficult moments because life does not only reserve victories for us. Knowing how to get back up is necessary.
Finally, even if we have a job that we like, we must lead a balanced life, leaving enough room for other activities, spending time with family and friends. All this while knowing how to care about the fate of the most vulnerable people.
If these lessons could play an important role in the life of a great athlete like Federer, I imagine they could also play a big role in each of our lives.
Back to school at our place
The start of the school year in our region took place calmly. Both at the Centre de services scolaire de la Beauce-Etchemin (CSSBE) and at the Cégep Beauce-Appalaches (CBE), we are seeing a significant increase in the number of students.
While the national media makes much of the problems caused by the lack of qualified teachers, it seems that the situation is not catastrophic in the region.
Of the approximately 1,800 teachers, only about 30 were unqualified, which represents only 1.7% of the teaching staff. This is really nothing to write home about. And it is important to mention that when we say “unqualified,” it does not mean incompetent. These teachers have the necessary knowledge related to the subject taught; they lack training in pedagogy.
Happy new school year to all and happy meditation on Federer’s lessons.
View all of Pier Dutil’s texts
Thought of the week
I dedicate to all of us a thought that has already been used, but is still relevant, especially in the theme of this column:
