Congratulations to Dayzie Simpson whose Peace Essay entitled ‘Lead with Compassion’ won the MK and District Final and then the National Final in The Lions Clubs’ essay writing competition. Dayzie tells us all about her experience writing her winning entry.
I’ve never been very ‘creative’ or ‘imaginative’ and that’s what I struggled with when I first discovered my passion for essay writing. Being blind and not being able to see anything, I can’t do the ‘writing’ part, but as technology has advanced and I’ve learnt the skills I need.
I have learnt how to touch type on a QWERTY keyboard, how to use an iPad with voice over on, how to read, write and identify letters. If you go back a few decades ago, it just wouldn’t have been possible! The ‘creative’ part just comes with practise, I might not be naturally creative, but if I analyse what the essay question actually is, I can break it into parts without needing to be creative!
By saying how far technology has advanced, I promise I’m not that old, I’ve only just turned 14. My journey with my essay that I touch-typed started when I entered The Lions Clubs’ essay competition “lead with compassion” which I learnt about through VICTA. When I first started thinking of what I wanted to do, I barely knew what the competition title really meant. Read my essay if you want to know what “lead with compassion” means because it’s a phrase that can be taken in so many different ways! I’m so glad I entered because I not only won the district final but also the national final and soon to find out how I do in the international final which is judged in Chicago, USA. I learnt lots of new vocabulary, and everything else in between which made it well worth entering and gave me a project to focus on.
I would say to anyone thinking of entering a competition, don’t enter and expect to win, don’t enter a competition because your parents want you to, enter it for you. It might sound a bit odd because I did win and I’m so thrilled that I won the for the district and national final, but my tip for you is even if you don’t win the first competition you enter, keep practising your skills in essay writing. It’s not about the winning it’s about taking part! (but it is amazing to win too don’t forget).
Listen to Dayzie chat to us about entering the competition.
Read of Dayzie’s winning essay:
Lead With Compassion
By Dayzie Simpson
Why should a leader be compassionate? “You should not count your chickens before they hatch!” If you were a leader, you can not just assume that your association know what they are meant to be doing, referring to “You should not count your chickens before they hatch” you do not know if all those chicken eggs will hatch, so being the leader, you should be compassionate about leading your troop and they should be lead by their leader with compassion without cutting any corners. If you count your chickens before they hatch, you are cutting corners by not waiting for them to hatch. “Show the way to your fellow committee”. Lead your people down the right path. A leader should be compassionate about everything they want their followers to believe, therefore they shall find a new leader and someone who is more compassionate about everything they say.
People who are followers should want to follow you as their leader because your compassionate about your beliefs and you should want others to obey you. If you were not compassionate about having to lead, your followers would not want to follow you and they would not want to support your beliefs if your feelings were not too strong about a certain topic. Make people of the public support you with your ambitions, hopes and dreams. Help your community work to their full potential and to their best abilities, further more you shall be able to help more and more people because the more people that follow you, the more they shall spread the word about your leadership and how compassionate you are.
Lets take the Prime Minister role, if you lead the public to believe your actions are not considerable of being worthy of becoming a Prime Minister, the public and media will discriminate you and feel hatred towards them because they betrayed the population via there inconsiderate behaviours of their Prime Minister, so they will not support what the Prime Ministers decisions are because of their actions. The public will certainly have lost hope in their Prime Minister and how compassionate they feel towards their Prime Minster. However, leading the public with compassion and pleasant honours, the Public will listen and understand how their Prime Minister will be a enjoyable leader.
A leader should be compassionate about what they are leading others to believe because otherwise, no one will want to be lead by their leader. Supporting others to their best abilities makes an incredible leader. That sums up the question that was mentioned at the start. Lead yourself to be compassionate to make a good impression on others! You shall then become a better person.
Well done dayzie finally found what you are so good at.