Today is A Level results day in the UK and it brings up a lot of memories for me. It is the day where you see if your hard work has come to fruition and if you’ve gotten in to university.
Here’s some things you may not know about me. I didn’t get good enough grades to get my place at Cardiff University to do medicine. So although I had what most people would consider good grades, I went home after picking up my results from school sad and disappointed.
However obviously you know that isn’t how the story ends, as about 3 weeks later (after I’d made a plan to resit a couple of my A-Levels) I got a phone call from Southampton University offering me a place for medicine in their clearing scheme. Before that call I’d been very blue indeed as I had failed my driving test that day. I was very upset but, hey, here I am now, a full qualified (and very good, may I add!) driver.
Here’s something else you might not know about me. I failed my first year of medical school and had to do summer re-sits. I got confused and thought university was just for partying and forgot about the studying bit!!
Why am I telling all these things? The point I am trying to make is that I was devastated when my A-Level grades weren’t good enough, but it all worked out fine. I thought it was the end of the world when I failed my driving test, but it’s no big deal now. I was gutted when I failed my first year of uni, but it’s hardly hindered my future success. The things we feel are a big deal at the time, often have no impact later on. Failure makes us more resilient. My friend Helen told me she asked her gran who was in her 80s for some advice in life, and gran said ‘I wish I’d worried less’.
Because in the end, I guess everything works out just as it should do, and worrying just spoils the ride. Start to see the positive side of failure.
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