How Many Times Did I Take the Praxis?...The 4 Vital Lessons I Learned...

A lot of times people see the end result of other individual’s lives and do not see the obstacles and/or the hard work that goes into how they made it to where they are today. Below are the 4 Vital Lessons I Learned from Taking the Praxis Test.

1.       Vulnerability:  I was in a position where I felt like I was the only person going through this, so much of my career relied on this test in order to move forward… I shared with others “my reality” (I did not pass the Praxis test on the first time) and the steps that I experienced to get to the point where I am today. I was able to admit my weakness (not passing the Praxis) and seek help from others who did pass.  I embraced the feeling of not knowing the specific outcome and enjoying the journey and the ability to gain further knowledge while studying.  I learned how to be vulnerable.

2.       Resilience:   I took the Praxis test more than one time and experienced disappointment.  I would open up the test scores and not want to look for fear that I would see the words “NOT PASSED.” …From each set back I  developed the ability to bounce back even quicker than I did before in my life.  Life is not fair and different experiences in our life teach us exactly how to develop resilience to keep going even when we may fear the worst. I learned resilience.    

3.       Underlying Lessons:  It is hard to see underlying lessons when you are in various situations in life, but sometimes when we step back and look at the big picture we understand the lesson that was there all along.  I am thankful for my underlying lesson that I learned the value of hanging in there, because life does not always give you the necessary tools that you need in the beginning, sometimes you have to develop those skills in order to get to the next chapter of your life.  I wanted to look at other careers many times, but I did not let the test define my future career that I absolutely loved.  I learned to find the underlying lessons in every experience.

4.       Rejection:  Last but not least the most important lesson that often times can be looked at as something negative.  I felt rejected each time I got back results saying that I did not pass the test.  I knew all throughout my life that standardized tests were not my strong point, but now I really felt like this was going to determine where my career would go next.  I realized that I just had to find various strategies and ways of studying for the test that worked best for me.  Rejection is a good thing because it makes you work harder and appreciate the end result even more.  I learned rejection only pushes you to the next level and you appreciate the end result.

So how many times did I have to take the Praxis test before I passed…Well let’s just say the third time was a charm :)  

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