19 Oct 2020

So you've done it. You've finished your first exam.

C O N G R A D U L A T I O N S !

Wow, what a relief!

You copped the anxiety-inducing walk to your seat. The frazzling feeling when you read a question 10 times before it sank in. The realisation you didn't study enough on that particular section. The urge to scream when the examiner said: "pens down."

You may feel like a space cadet right now, brain zonked from the blood, sweat and tears that went into studying for that exam and that's fine... In fact, I encourage you to RELAX that brain of yours. I know I know, there's an exam tomorrow but you deserve to treat yo'self just a lil' bit. 

Inhale a block of chocolate, watch a movie, muck around on guitar, commit to online shopping, meditate... do something that'll calm your mind, body and soul. If you return straight to studying, you'll burn out and probably spontaneously combust so take a second to zen the heck out.

And if things didn't go exactly as you planned or you completely feel defeated after the first exam, don't let your thoughts dwell on it.

It's over! Move on and let it be. Don't stress about that bloody blue boat and asking how it tells the story of human experiences.

So what if your mate says that they wrote so many more pages than you or that their essay fit the question to a T. Don't linger on the past because it's over! It can't be changed (unless you're Marty McFly), so strive on for your next exam.

Look, I'll let you in on a lil' secret. Sure, that exam was important. It's a massive achievement to have finished it so be proud!

But that exam didn't test you on that time you looked after your stumbling, mumbling, drunk mess of a friend whilst you really just wanted to be inside the party flirting. Or how you composed an unreal six-page piano piece. Or how you once performed at a stand-up comedy show and made the room cry from laughter. 

That exam didn't care about how selfless, kind, courageous, funny, creative or bold you are. It doesn't care how good of a listener you are, or how you can make a room of people feel comfortable and uplifted, or how badly you want to change the world.

That exam only cared about a tiny portion of you.

For the rest of the exam period, smash out some more studying and give the exams your best shot because life's too short to do anything half-fast.

But just remember, these exams only care about a little bit of you. The rest of you is freakin' extraordinary, and that's what really matters.