Podcast #2872

Hello and welcome back. I want to talk to you today about something that makes a lot of us feel a knot in our stomachs. I want to talk about tests. But not in the way you might think. I’m not here to give you last-minute study tips or tell you to get a good night's sleep, though those things are important. I’m here to reframe what a test really is. Because I believe we’ve gotten it all wrong. We see a test as a judgment day, a final verdict on our intelligence or our worth. We approach it with a sense of dread, our hearts pounding, our palms sweaty, hoping just to survive it. But what if I told you that’s a complete misunderstanding of the situation? What if a test isn't an end point, but a beginning? What if it’s not a wall, but a door? Let’s talk about that.

Think about an athlete. Picture a runner at the starting line of a big race. They’ve spent months, maybe years, training. They’ve woken up before dawn, they’ve pushed through pain, they’ve logged countless miles. The race itself isn't a punishment for all that hard work. It’s the celebration of it. It’s the one moment where all that effort gets to be displayed, to be proven, to shine. The race is the opportunity. The test is your race. It is not merely an assessment; it is a powerful, concentrated opportunity to demonstrate everything you’ve become. It’s your chance to show your dedication, to make visible the growth that has happened quietly inside you, and to put the knowledge you’ve so diligently cultivated on display. All those hours of studying, of wrestling with difficult concepts, of reviewing notes until your eyes felt heavy—they weren't just about memorizing facts. They were about building capacity. You weren't just filling a bucket; you were forging a tool. You were building mental muscle. And this test is the event where you get to use that tool, to flex that muscle, and see just how strong you’ve become.

So why do we approach it with fear? Fear is a natural response to the unknown, to something that feels high-stakes. But I want you to try something different. I want you to approach your next test, whatever it may be, not with fear, but with focused determination. That’s the mindset of the athlete. They aren't terrified of the race; they are focused on it. Their mind is clear, their body is ready, and they are channeling all that built-up energy into a single, powerful performance. That’s your job. Your job is to be the focused, determined version of yourself who walks into that room knowing that you have done the work. You have put in the hours. You have built this capacity. The test is simply the arena where you get to perform.

This requires a profound level of trust. You have to trust in your effort. You have to believe that the work you did was enough. And I’m telling you, it was. The very fact that you cared enough to prepare, that you showed up for yourself day after day, that is evidence of your capability. The human brain is an incredible thing. It holds onto more than you think in those moments of stress. You have to trust that the knowledge is in there, waiting to be accessed. When you sit down and that paper is in front of you, take a deep breath and trust the process. Trust the you who did the work. That version of you is your biggest ally.

Now, let’s talk about the challenge itself. We’re taught to avoid challenges, to seek the easy path. But the most meaningful growth in our lives never comes from the easy path. It comes from the struggles, the difficult problems, the moments where we aren't sure we can do it. Embrace this test as that kind of challenge. See it not as a threat, but as a chance to shine. This is your moment to step into the spotlight, even if that spotlight is just the glow of your desk lamp in a quiet exam hall. This is your stage. The questions are not enemies trying to trick you; they are invitations to demonstrate what you know. Each one is a little opportunity to say, 'Ah, I’ve got this. I understand this.' Embrace that. Welcome the difficult questions, because they are the ones that will truly allow you to prove the depth of your understanding.

And this is the most important part: your potential far, far exceeds any single score. Please, write that down. Stick it on your mirror. Your potential is not a number on a page. It is not a percentage. That score is a data point, a snapshot of your performance on one particular day, on one particular set of questions. It does not define your intelligence, your creativity, your work ethic, or your future. You are so much more than a test result. The world’s most brilliant minds have failed tests. The most successful people have faced setbacks. What made them successful wasn't a perfect score; it was their resilience, their ability to learn, to adapt, and to keep going. This test is a moment in your journey, not the destination.

Let this be a moment where you not only prove what you know, but also discover the depth of your own resilience and capability. That’s the real prize here. The knowledge you demonstrate is fantastic, but the self-discovery is priceless. You will walk out of that test room having learned something about yourself. You’ll learn how you handle pressure. You’ll learn that you can focus under stress. You’ll learn that you have a strength inside you that you might not have been fully aware of. That discovery is a tool you will carry with you for the rest of your life, long after the subject matter of this test has faded from memory. Every challenge you face from now on, you can look back and say, 'I handled that test. I can handle this.'

So as you prepare, shift your internal dialogue. Stop saying, 'I’m so scared of this test.' Start saying, 'I’m ready for this opportunity.' Visualize yourself walking in calmly, sitting down, breathing deeply, and tackling each question with clarity and confidence. See yourself not as a victim of the test, but as the master of it. You are the one in control. You have the knowledge. You have the preparation. You have the mental fortitude.

When the day arrives, have a good breakfast. Get there early. Bring water. And before you begin, just take one more moment. Close your eyes if you can, and remind yourself of the truth. This is your race. This is your moment to show what you’re made of. This is your chance to shine. Trust your training. Embrace the challenge. And know, with absolute certainty, that no matter what number appears on that paper, you are capable, you are resilient, and you are so much more than a score. You’ve got this. Now go out there and show them, and more importantly, show yourself, what you can do.