Just when I started enjoying my vacation, it hit me that the exam results were on the horizon. All my happiness was gone and all I could feel was anxiety about the exam results. We all try very hard to make something come true, to achieve something for ourselves and for others. Exams are one such step towards our achievement. It is a test of fire. Passing or failing these exams make us feel positively or negatively about ourselves. It affects our confidence. In fact waiting for the results can be a scary time; it's like you have an appointment with fear! As the hype starts to gain momentum, your stomach starts to churn. Of course this is normal. It is to be expected that you feel stressed, nervous, panicky and anxious. You may not even realise that you are feeling the effects of stress. Most of us also worry about how others, especially family and close ones, might react to our results. A good exam result has become something to brag about to our friends and relatives. A bad one is seen as the end of our academic career.
Academic career does not have an expiry date
In reality there is nothing called an end of the academic career. In fact Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Sachin Tendulkar have had a real tough time with their academics. What makes them successful? It is their determination and belief in their own abilities.
While you await the results
| There was a man who failed in business at age 21; was defeated in a legislative race at age 22; failed again in business at 24; overcome the death of his fiancée at 26; had a nervous breakdown at 27; lost a congressional race at 34; lost a senatorial race at age 45; failed to become Vice President at age 47; lost a senatorial race at 49; and was elected as the President of the United States at the age of 52. This man was Abraham Lincoln. He refused to let his failures define him and fought against significant odds to achieve greatness. |
Do this to keep you from going over the edge
| Thomas Edison reportedly failed 10,000 times while he was inventing the light bulb. He said, “I have found 10,000 ways something won’t work. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.” |
After the results are declared
Put your results into perspective: Whether you have achieved the results you expected or not, remember that exams are stepping stones to something bigger. Exams are not always goals in themselves; they can be a means to a goal. Stepping stones can be of different sizes and sometimes may be difficult but the important thing is for them to be used productively to reach where you want to be. Marks should not be the goal; they only help you reach the next class or a level closer to your desired career.
| The Wright Brothers spent years working on failed aircraft prototypes and incorporating their learning’s until they finally got it right: A plane that could get airborne and stay there. |
| Bhagwad Gita Children in Chapter 2 verse 47 of Bhagwad Gita Sri Krishna tells Arjun, “You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.”So once your results are out move forward with full determination and plan your next move carefully irrespective of the result. See what the best course of action for you is. Don’t get carried away by your friends. |
Obsessing over your failure will not change the outcome. In fact, it will only intensify the outcome, trapping you in an emotional doom-loop that disables you from moving on. You cannot change the past, but you can shape your future. The faster you take a positive step forward, the quicker you can leave these debilitating, monopolising thoughts behind. —Aniket Raja
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