Closing ceremonies
Have you ever watched the closing ceremonies of the Olympics? Basically, it’s just a party where all the athletes celebrate their participation in The Games. It’s not about winners or losers, world records, or medal counts. The focus in on having taken part, having done your best. Everyone is celebrating, the quadruple gold medalist as well as the guy who tripped on the first hurdle and fell flat on his face. At the closing ceremonies, everyone is a winner.
The PHR and SPHR May-June testing window closed on Saturday. If statistics hold, somewhere around 50 or 60 percent of those who sat for the exam passed (which means, sadly, that 40 to 50 percent didn’t). Now is the time to celebrate your accomplishments. If you passed, you can celebrate that nifty acronym you get to add to your business cards. If you didn’t, celebrate the fact that you were brave enough to line up for the race in the first place. Putting your knowledge and credibility on the line isn’t for the faint of heart. Having tried is significant. (Sitting still in one place for four hours is a huge accomplishment in my book.) Today, don’t worry about what might have gone wrong or whether you’ll re-take the exam in six months or a year. There will be time to review, assess, and analyze. For now, be satisfied that you tried at all. Many don’t make it that far.
July 5th, 2007 at 11:24 am
Awesome perspective! I do feel good that I sat for the exam– even though I did not pass. I am grateful that I have seen what the test is like and that I no longer have a fear of the “unknown”. Finally, I can take a break from studying albeit for a little while– and live my life like a “normal” person.
The olympics, well you’ve got that right. I was calling it a 26 mile marathon. All I wanted to do was finish. So many times I wanted to quit to stop studying, but now I am glad that I didn’t. Thanks for you helpful thoughts. Keep ‘em coming!