Neva Givu Apu!!

One of my friends just recently passed the first actuarial test. I think there is a total of somewhere between 3 and 9 tests. Yes, I know, that's not very specific. These actuarial tests are taken to become an actuary scientist. By the way, an actuary scientist is not really a scientist in the traditional sense of the word. They work in insurance and need to have a good grasp on business and math. These tests are apparently pretty tough. I've never taken them, so I'm giving you second hand information, but people can spend years trying to pass them all. Do you know how long my friend spent trying to pass the FIRST one? Guess. I'll wait... She spent four years. Four stinking years. That's a long time.
Taking it and failing. Taking it and failing. Taking it and failing. And when you fail an actuarial test, I don't think they give you your score. They just say "FAIL," so you don't even know if you're getting any better! But you know what? She never gave up. And I think that's really wonderful.


So I understand that some of you are under some time constraints (however if you'll look back to my last blog you might realize those constraints might not be as necessary as you think), but I want to encourage you not to give up. Most people don't set out to take a test beyond their mental capabilities, like I would not set out to take the USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination). The test you're studying for might be at the edge of your current mental capabilities, but it's probably not that far off. So you just have to keep going, consistently, but not insanely so that you get burnt out. But just keep going. Be patient. If the goal for which you're taking the test isn't worth the time, then maybe you should reevaluate your goals. But be flexible. And still enjoy life in the meantime. Life is not about succeeding and then succeeding more and then succeeding more. It's about living, and being a decent person, and having good friends, and helping others out, and not pushing people on the train. So make sure you're still living life while you study. And then celebrate when you pass the test. Easy, right?


By the way, something pretty funny happened to me the other day. I was talking to a friend and he said, "Sometimes I think life is like a book that someone else has written and you're the main character." I was utterly shocked and snapped my face around and alert and said, "REALLY?! I'm the main character in your life?!?" He said, "No, no, no, I'M the main character." I had simply misheard him. But if you want to make someone feel good, maybe you could tell them that they're the main character in your life which is a book that someone else has written, because for that brief moment, I felt pretty good.


▼▽▼▼【講師】Amberly先生のバックナンバー━━━━━━━━
・【Why your brain might not be working as well as you'd like it to.】2009.06.17 (Wed)