All of you wake up each day and maybe look at the weather or think of problems that you face, which may be personal, physical, social or even school work!! No doubt many of you complain about these problems. But how many of you are truly positive about the opportunities and challenges that crop up on a daily basis? Very often, young people like you do not realise the possibilities that exist day by day to make a real difference to your lives and even more importantly the lives of others. Each one of you has the power to make a difference, to make a positive change for the better on a daily basis, and yet I wouldn't mind guessing that not many of you are really aware of these opportunities, or have attempted to act on them.

People say it's impossible to see into the future. I disagree. The future is always predictable to an extent. Let's take some simple examples. Generally speaking, the harder you work or the more you try the more likely it is that you will be successful. The more successful you are the more likely it is that you will have a happier and better quality of life. On the other hand, the less effort you make, the less likely you are to be successful. This is not a certainty, but it is a probability. All that you do has consequences, in the same way that all you do not do also has its consequences. As most of you know, if you smoke, drink excessively, eat particularly fatty or sweet foods and do not exercise then you will become increasingly unhealthy. It is highly probable that you will die earlier - you will not live as long as someone who doesn't smoke, drinks moderately, eats five or more pieces of fruit each day and exercises for more than 30 minutes at least three times a week. What happens in years to come, happens as a consequence of what we do, or don't do today. This is a probability - in other words it is predictable.

The good news is that all of us here have the opportunity to change and start making positive differences to our lives today. We all know the old expression 'turn over a new leaf' and I suspect many of you often say to yourselves 'I'm going to do it - but not today. I'll start tomorrow…or next week… or next month'. This is commonly applied to exam revision! You must remember that success is not a destination, but a journey. In other words, getting fitter or gaining knowledge is a process which takes place on a day by day basis. If you were to exercise today then you are already in the process of getting fitter. If you work harder today then you are already in the process of being more successful in your exams.

In this country we have opportunities to change our lives because we live in a privileged society, but most of us take these opportunities for granted. Millions of children - the same age as you - do not have the opportunities that you have. Whenever you are beginning to feel that life has not treated you fairly then you need to be aware of some facts and figures which illustrate what it is like to live in other parts of the world. Some of you may have problems and misfortunes, and I am not belittling these, but equally there are many others who have even more serious day-to-day issues to contend with. Problems that go to the very heart of human existence - survival!

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