AS exam season approaches; a noticeable shift in the confidence descends amongst many students. There are those that excel and thrive under exam conditions and those that are filled with dread.

We will all face pressure situations in our lifetime and no one truly understands them other than the person facing it. However, critically, knowing the impact of the outcome is far more important than any result and will shape a mindset for ultimate success. This surely should be addressed at an early age and can subsequently help us to deal with situations later in life. How many situations result in the catastrophic ending of the world or result in death if you do not achieve your desired outcome. It’s important to know impact or lack there of on you and on others.

Our biggest critics are likely those closest to us and there is an associated sense of judgement, whether they are supposed friends, peers or loved ones. No one should ever make you feel like a failure. If you are not where you want to be; remember that it will be alright in the end. If it’s not alright, it is not yet the end.

The other key element to this topic is that it is absolutely not “the taking part that counts.” Try anything and everything (within reason) but instead when you do, give 100 per cent and strive to be your best. The level you achieve is irrelevant as there will always be a gradient of achievement and it’s impossible to fulfil everything.

All of this is best summed up by being a parent. Nothing truly prepares you for it and arguably nothing comes close to that level of joy. I’d liken parenting to a phoenix. Every day you burn brightly to be a shining light to children and that fire internally is sometimes all consuming and overwhelming yet every morning they rise from the ashes.

For adults reading this; tomorrow is another day and another opportunity. Grasp it with every fibre of your being. For students; do not worry about the outcome or fear the result as you don’t know what it will be and it’s affect. As long as you prepare with everything you can put into it; no matter what the result means to others; you will be empowered to know you did what you could and deal with the consequences accordingly.