Who am I? What do I want? were two questions posed to an audience of St Catherine’s fathers and their daughters by performance and mindset coach, Mr Ben Crowe during the Sports Auxiliary’s bi-annual fundraising event, held in the Long Room of the Melbourne Cricket Club.

Ben has worked with some of the world’s most famous individuals, including Andre Agassi, Nike CEO Phil Knight, and high-performance Australian athletes including tennis legends Ash Barty, and Dylan Alcott, surfing icon Stephanie Gilmore, and Richmond Football Club stars Trent Cotchin and Dustin Martin.

Guest Speaker at the Father Daughter Dinner event, Ben put to the audience, that in life and in work, family, and all the other things we do, there are two questions we should ask ourselves – ‘Who am I?’ and ‘’What do I want?’

Both are remarkably hard questions to answer. The second question was most interesting. It wasn’t, Ben said, “more money, a better house, a promotion, a high ATAR or a gold medal” we really need. Although important in themselves, these things are not what will give us fulfilment. “Our greatest growth comes from our most difficult times.”

“The reason why our greatest failures can lead to our greatest successes is because it unlocks humility, and humanity, and learning.” Ben went on to say “In terms of how powerful acceptance is in these times, acceptance is the gateway of perspective, and it is one of the greatest pillars that human beings have access to today. We don’t understand as humans, how powerful acceptance is.”

One of the strong messages Ben provided, especially directed at parents, was to adjust one’s perspective. Instead of thinking about things like “I have got to take my daughter to sport, I have got to watch my daughter’s concert, or I have got to cook for the kids tonight,” Ben suggested replacing got with get! It then becomes “I get to take my daughter to sport, I get to watch my daughter’s concert, or I get to cook for the kids tonight.”

Ben’s presentation resonated with everyone in the room. We all took away valuable insights. Organised by our wonderful parents in the Sports Auxiliary, the dinner event was a beautiful community occasion and a wonderful opportunity for dads to spend an evening with their daughters.

Speaking with our dads and daughters after the event, there was no doubt of the evening’s impact. While Ben’s talk was inspiring and full of deep and powerful messages, my takeaway on the night was how important it is for us to connect. Having dinner together, sharing stories and being part of our wonderful St Catherine’s community.