Have you been working hard toward a certain certification and met with some exam failures already? Are you thinking about giving up?
Here are some tried and true techniques that should help you see it through:
- Practice your perseverance – sticking with it is actually a learned skill, so start practicing right away with many facets of your life. One great tip is attacking small parts of the exam outline and celebrating those small wins as they happen!
- Work on your physical self – it is not a myth that the mind is aided tremendously by the body. You will find taking frequent breaks to work on your physical health will help tremendously.
- Achievements lead to achievements – similar to the tip given in number 1 above, be sure to start achieving smaller goals each day in your overall journey.
- Get inspired by others – think you have it rough? There is somewhere out there right now that has ten times your number of certifications, did it in less time, with a larger family, and little to no money. Investigate the stories of others with your desired cert and get inspired by their stories!
- Rant to a study group or two – there are online groups or even physical groups meeting all over the world about your certification area. Do not be afraid to blow off some steam in one or more of these groups.
- Visualize the end – there is nothing wrong with thinking about how great it will be to finally crush that exam.
- Tell everyone you know about what you are trying to do – this helps with the accountability approach. Others can help hold you accountable. When you think it – it is not nearly as real as when you schedule it and tell others!
- Get a reality check – be honest with yourself and your level of preparedness. I remember being in complete denial regarding my lack of knowledge in several CCIE areas. Sure enough, I would fail the practical based on these technologies (in part). Take a real honest look at how hard you are studying and where you are at in your journey!
I hope this helps some of my readers! As always, thanks for reading!