Perseverance

This weekend I'm taking my first of what will be, I'm sure, many certification tests for interpreting. If all goes well I'll be able to interpret in a secondary educational setting next fall. If it doesn't go well, then I'll just have to try again, and keep trying until I pass. I feel very calm about these tests. You would think that I wouldn't because it's literally what stands between me and working, but I'm not. This is the conclusion that I have come to. I've talked a lot about this failing and passing business with many of my teachers and mentors. Many of them are some of the best interpreters that I know. They are very skilled and respected in the field. Many of them also did not pass their tests on the first try. So, who's to say that just because I don't pass on the first try, I can't be just as successful as they are? This what is allowing me to be so calm. If I pass then great, it's only what I can hope for, but if I don't, sure I'll be disappointed, but that will just give me the opportunity to improve.

I found a website that talks about Abraham Lincoln and perseverance. He had more failures than successes before he was elected to be president at age 51. In spite of all those failures, he still became one of the best presidents this country has ever seen. Now, I'm not saying that I'm going to become president, but I am saying that there is clearly something valuable to be learned from good old Abe. There is something to be said for a person who doesn't give up when they have been defeated.