Are you like me? Did you excel in academics in school as a youngster, never failing a single exam, and always having plenty of study time? Well, get ready, my certification-questing friends, because all of that might change now — and very quickly.

While you do not want to approach your certification pursuit thinking that you are going to fail, you do want to prepare yourself, your timelines, and trackers for potential setbacks. Think about it: You might have some life event occur that keeps you from studying as much as you had planned one week, thus pushing your completion date out further. Or you might have a first attempt at an exam not go well, and to make matters worse, it could be your first time failing a test in your life!

Be ready for these setbacks. Factor them in. It’s OK. It happens to ALL of us. I personally sat and took the CCIE R&S practical lab exam many times before passing it. And that exam cost $1,500 each attempt, and was placed on my wife’s credit card. Talk about pressure!

When you have a setback, let it be a very temporary one. Regroup and immediately start back on your journey. If it is a failed exam, then you will have an excellent idea of what areas you need to improve upon.

I like to remember this Winston Churchill quote:

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”

Study with passion my friends!