Life is a Test

life is a test?

I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all taken a test or two in life.  There are different types of test questions such as multiple choice and open-ended response.  From my personal experience, as a student and as a teacher, I think that multiple choice questions are my favorite. As a test taker, the right answer is right there in front of you. Even if you don’t know the answer you still have a chance of getting it correct. As a teacher, they took a lot less time to grade. Open-ended response questions are a little harder because you actually have to write out the answer. I’ve skipped plenty of open-ended response questions in my day. Sometimes it was easier for me to just leave it blank than trying to make up an answer. Sure, I’d lose a few points, but I always felt like my teachers would judge me more for writing something totally wrong.

life is a TEST

I see life as a test. A test with a series of questions that we are always trying to answer. I think most of us choose the multiple choice option for our test. There are always a few options to choose from and we have to decide which one is best for us. Until this point, I’ve kind of picked from predetermined answers in life. That’s cool for some situations, but I’m starting to like the idea of writing in my own answer. I think that my life can be whatever I make it.

I’ve always had a lifelong dream of being a teacher. However, as I got older, there were other career paths that caught my attention. I stuck with teaching because it was the “safe” option.  Sure, I’m great at working with kids and I do love being in the classroom, but I knew it wasn’t something I wanted to do forever. I decided before I graduated from college that I wanted to do a gap year instead of jumping right into the teaching profession. I completed a year of service with City Year as a team leader. I was still able to work with children, but my role required me to use other skills as well. I spent that year trying to figure out my next move. I applied to graduate school and I didn’t get accepted. I also applied for a number of jobs and I didn’t hear back from most of them.

I turned to teaching because everyone was in my ear telling me that was what I needed to do. I just went along with it because I spent four years working towards my degree and I didn’t want it to go to “waste”. So, I decided to give it a try. My post last week explained why my time as a teacher was short-lived. To be honest, part of me was angry with myself for going along with something that I wasn’t 100% sure was the right thing for me.  I was putting all of this time, effort, and energy into a job that I wasn’t really sure about in the first place. When I decided to quit my job with no solid back up plan, I switched from a multiple choice test to the open-ended response version of my test.

LIFE is a test

Have you ever studied for a test and once you saw the first question you felt like you didn’t prepare enough for it? Well life is like that too. Sometimes we don’t feel prepared to answer the questions we face. However, when you have a blank space to write in your answer the possibilities are endless.

I never thought that I would quit teaching mid-year. Quitting my job was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. It’s been a month and I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time. I saw this as an opportunity for me to take my life in a different direction. I didn’t get a new test, my questions just changed a little bit.

For so long, my question was: What am I doing next? Right now, my question is: What makes me happy? I figured if I answered that question first, all of the answers to my other questions would come to me.

Starting a blog was something that I’d thought about doing for some time now, but I’d always find a reason not to. I’ve always talked myself out of doing things, but I decided that I was no longer going to stand in my own way. I bought my domain name and I didn’t turn back. I didn’t care if my family and friends were my only readers. I did this for myself. I figured that no matter what I go through, I would have something positive to give my energy to.

LIFE is a TEST

I had teachers that would pass out different versions of the same test. Each test would have different questions and different answer choices. It made it difficult for us to cheat off of our neighbor.

Life is a test, but not everyone’s test is exactly the same. With 7 billion people on this earth, it is impossible for all of us to live our lives the same way. There is no one right answer.  You also shouldn’t feel the need to cheat off of someone else’s test. God gives all of us a different test because He made each of us differently. (BTW: He has the master-key to my test.)

Just because you see someone else is on question 43 and you’re still stuck on question 29, you shouldn’t feel bad. We all progress at different times. Just because they seem like they are ahead, they may have skipped a few questions along the way. Also, it doesn’t mean they got all of their answers exactly right the first time either.

Life is short, but our TEST isn’t timed. At 23, I have to tell myself to slow down and try not to rush. There are times I see people my age that have certain accomplishments, and I feel like I’m not doing enough. I have to remind myself that I’ve accomplished things in my life that the people I’m comparing myself to haven’t accomplished. All of my answers placed me where I’m supposed to be. Had I not selected or written the answers I did, you wouldn’t be reading this.

LIFE IS A TEST

 If you don’t know the answer, it’s okay to change the question.

-Kymmie

An awesome test taker

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