I have noticed that several fellow bloggers are following a "word of the year" trend either instead of or in addition to New Year's resolutions or goals. I've already well thought out goals for this year and posted about them (here), and there wasn't one word that seemed to jump out at me that I could use as inspiration for an entire year, so I thought I'd forgo participating this time around.
Life, however, had different plans for me. As you may know, I have been madly studying to achieve an insurance designation, the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU). If you're not familiar with the insurance industry, the CPCU is the most prestigious designation and the most difficult to obtain. It is said to be equivalent to having a Master's degree in insurance. For the education component there are eight two-to-three hour exams to pass. After passing four exams, I scheduled my fifth at the end of January, on the 21st. I wasn't very confident this time and went in with a poor attitude. For the very first time, I walked out of the testing center with a piece of paper that read "non-pass."
I have been terribly upset for allowing myself to receive a "non-pass." The high of my previous passing streak suddenly wore off and I felt like a complete failure. I felt like I had wasted the $270 I paid for my exam slot and was kicking myself in the butt for all of those nights I spent on social media or going to sleep early instead of studying.
After letting my "non-pass" marinate for the past week and a half, I've come to realize that one of my biggest drawbacks is my attitude. I went into my exam with a poor attitude and I came out with a poor attitude, and that got me nowhere. It's been a struggle to come to terms with this, but I decided that I need to pick myself back up and use this experience as a positive building block on my way to achieving my long term goal of attaining the CPCU designation. I need to change my attitude completely and actually believe that I can achieve what I set my mind to. I need to persevere.
Not only with my studying and exams, but with all of my goals. I had to reminds myself of my 2016 goals (posted here) and reflect on the importance of perseverance for each one. Persevering in 2016 means I will be healthy, I will be happy with my blog, I will give birth naturally to my second child, I will be financially stable, I will make time to put my family first, and I will be content with myself.
And so, my word of the year has been confirmed: Persevere.
Good word! It's something we all must do
ReplyDeleteThis is a great word! Good luck on your CPCU!
ReplyDeleteAwesome word choice! Perseverance :) We all must persevere if we want to have any kind of success in whatever we are doing :) First time here! Awesome blog, Danielle!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful choice of word, sounds like you are setting up the year to be a positive one. Good luck with it all
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of following a word of the year and Persevere is great. Good luck with the rest of your exams, sounds like you're working really hard I'm sure you'll soon get your qualifications.
ReplyDeleteOh i like the idea of this. I have never seen a post about this before! What a lovely word and positive sounding.
ReplyDeleteBlimey you do put pressure on yourself! Well done for recognising what you need to do though - I love your word. Has such positive influences.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your studies. I'm sure with perseverance as your mantra you will achieve all you wish for xx
ReplyDeleteIt is incredible what difference a shift in attitude can make. One non pass is not a big deal. You'll pass it!
ReplyDeleteSuch a good word. Good luck again! If you're in this frame of mind, you'll pass for sure! xx
ReplyDeleteThis is a great word and I certainly need to apply it to my life. Just don't be hard on yourself if your birth doesn't go to plan - these things can be so out of our control and it will be no reflection of your ability to persevere.
ReplyDelete