I walked casually to the door after hearing the rattling of the postman trying to push in the letters through the pigeonhole. My 3 years old would soon run to pick up all the letters for me as she normally does, but for some reasons that morning I wanted to do this myself.
I was expecting the result of my postgraduate assessment. I had toiled effortlessly in class, I was one of the intelligent few in the class, my views on the subject were highly valued. All my assignments attracted the highest grade. The last and final part of this course was the assessment which took place at work and I was looking forward to the outcome.
The Assessment
My manager got to know of my assessment a week before it was to take place and she wasn’t happy about it. I wasn’t one of her many favourites due to her personal view of who fits in her circle. My manager had shown her dislike many times, we both exercise caution and performed due diligence our job demanded. Apart from this, she stayed clear of my way and I tried never to cross her path.
Nevertheless, I prepared for my assessment. I practised my speech and got my Assessor comfortable. Everything went well until my manager decided to bomb my well planned day demanding to have a talk with my Assessor. I stood outside trying to figure out what was happening.
The 90 minutes I spent waiting for my assessor confirmed the friendship that was newly formed. My manager came out beaming with life. I was confused.
I was informed of what to expect with disconcerting formality. The talk signalled the end of my academic assessment. My manager was exceptionally excited, as I walked my Assessor to the car, she came forward to give reassuring hug to her newfound friend: My Assessor.
I didn’t think much of this occurrence. Work continued and it wasn’t until 6 weeks after the assessment that I got the result.
The Content of the Letter.
In the pile of the letters I picked up that day was the result of my assessment and I failed. I wasn’t expecting anything less from the assessment. I blamed my manager for my failure. Failure of the assessment meant the failure of the whole 12 months of attendance, assignments, projects and researches.
I protested. In my anger and disgust, I attempted reassessment, requested a change of Assessor, a whole lot of review of the process and guess what? I failed again.
I felt disappointed with the whole process. Many people took advantage of the course through me. These people passed without an itch. The worst part came when questions started pouring in. How do I explain my failure to people? What would people think of me?
I hated to give the excuse of why I failed the assessment. It wasn’t a good reason to push the blame on my manager. I had a part to contribute as well and I failed. Life happened in a way you can’t explain sometimes, in a way you least expected.
Then Life Happen…
The assessment was over a decade ago and it had thought me a lesson or two. Sometimes, things happened in life that you have no control over irrespective of your intelligence or the magnitude of your social circle.
Life is great when things work according to how you planned it, but what happens when life takes the lead? What do you do if all let loose?
Part of the dreaded fact of life challenges is the snarl and gossip from people around. People that look on while you fall without the provision of a soft landing. The best attitude to have is to ignore the noise around you and concentrate on gathering the pieces.
Make do of what you have left and live life without losing your mind on the challenges you have faced.
What is the worst that can happen?
It is a waste of effort thinking of what people think of you at the time of your fall or your fail. Your set back might be anything, see this as a challenge and work harder on surviving the storm. Never get swept under the worry carpet, be focused and take every day as it comes.
The question I often ask myself is “What is the worse that can happen?”. The thought of losing your “dignity” only worsens the situation. Be brave and know that some people have it worse than you.
Life is a mixture of emotions. Life is a test, you pass sometimes and you fail sometimes. You never can rightfully predict the outcome of a well-planned project. Don’t sulk at your fail, it is all part of the experience of life.
When life takes the lead, wait and see where it leads you, the probability of it making you stronger, wiser and braver is higher.
This Post Has One Comment
You are very correct my dear, life is a puzzle which no one solve except the maker and the Creator od everything in the Universe.
May we pass the exams or test of life as it comes away.
Keep up the good job dear..