Exams

We grew up with exams. From possibly the time we were 6, no, in fact from the time we were 3. Even to get admitted into a good school, you had to pass a test. There would be blocks that you’d have to fit into the right slots. They’d check whether you can be on your own or not. They’d check your parents’ education. So yes, exams have been a part of our lives. We spent fourteen years in school from one test to the other. Quarterlies, half-yearly, annual exams. And then came college. And we had more. But then as we stepped into the big bad world with all the ammunition of our degrees, a part of us missed the exams. The tense moments, the last-minute revision, the reading and re-reading of key points, formulas and diagrams. The discussions afterwards. The anticipation of results. The comparison of performance. The new resolutions for the next exam. Not consciously for sure, but at a very innate subliminal level, we miss this rigour, this routine as adults. 

And hence, I notice, we create our own exams. Business reviews in corporate life. The next performance review. The next white paper. The next patent. The next promotion. The next marathon. We set a long term plan, we split it up into unit tests. 5k this month. 10 the next. Revision time. Rework time. Down time. And GO time. The linked in updates on moves and promotions to the strava check-ins on a 5-miler here or a 10-miler there. It is still a lot about show and tell. The gratification comes from the ‘congrats’ and ‘likes’ on our mini and mega achievements. But at the end of it all, the gratification comes from within. The reassurance that you can get what you set your mind to. That you can discipline yourself for a set period of time, abstain and achieve and hence, you get a check mark on adulting. The little quiet ego boost that gets you charged for the next goal you set for yourself. 

Because what is life after all, but continuous improvement.