Dealing with failure

[Sendo]

Feel like last year has been wasteful - I attempted communication exam twice, fellowship exam twice and failed all of them.

How do I cope with the so called "imposter syndrome"? The feeling of failure is so demoralising and am struggling to get out of the rut.

Any motivational messages, links, books, exam strategies ..?! I hope 2020 is a fruitful year for all student members.

 

[Marzipan]

Feel like last year has been wasteful - I attempted communication exam twice, fellowship exam twice and failed all of them.

How do I cope with the so called "imposter syndrome"? The feeling of failure is so demoralising and am struggling to get out of the rut.

Any motivational messages, links, books, exam strategies ..?! I hope 2020 is a fruitful year for all student members.

Hello Sendo, the truth of the matter is that some things go well in life and some things don't, and the best anyone can hope for is that more things go well than not. Okay, the exams haven't gone to plan. So look at other aspects of your life and draw positives from those - have you achieved anything in the office? Is there a hobby/interest that you've excelled in? Have you good relationships with friends/family? Even something really basic - if you're able to pay the bills you've already achieved what many struggle with. And for things that are not going so well, be proactive - change your approach. Don't dwell on what's past.

After all, "Tomorrow is another day!" (from the film 'Gone With the Wind'). Another quote I quite like is "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." (Thomas Edison). If your looking for something more theoretical, you could look into Carol Dweck's 'Growth Mindset' theory. The idea is that people who believe they can do better are able to improve themselves more by learning from failure.

 

[Calm]

Feel like last year has been wasteful - I attempted communication exam twice, fellowship exam twice and failed all of them.

How do I cope with the so called "imposter syndrome"? The feeling of failure is so demoralising and am struggling to get out of the rut.

Any motivational messages, links, books, exam strategies ..?! I hope 2020 is a fruitful year for all student members.

Please, I hope 2020 will be more fruitful for me. Signed up for what would be my 4th sitting at CT8/CM2. Apr 2019's attempt was actually better than Sep 2019's.

 

[Sendo]

Hello Sendo, the truth of the matter is that some things go well in life and some things don't, and the best anyone can hope for is that more things go well than not. Okay, the exams haven't gone to plan. So look at other aspects of your life and draw positives from those - have you achieved anything in the office? Is there a hobby/interest that you've excelled in? Have you good relationships with friends/family? Even something really basic - if you're able to pay the bills you've already achieved what many struggle with. And for things that are not going so well, be proactive - change your approach. Don't dwell on what's past.

After all, "Tomorrow is another day!" (from the film 'Gone With the Wind'). Another quote I quite like is "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." (Thomas Edison). If your looking for something more theoretical, you could look into Carol Dweck's 'Growth Mindset' theory. The idea is that people who believe they can do better are able to improve themselves more by learning from failure.

Thanks Marzipan, your words are encouraging. Failure indeed can be a driver for personal growth. You are not alone in this battle Calm - lets go again!

 

[almost_there]

Actuaries qualifying in other systems recognised as 'equivalent' by IFoA don't experience such high failure rates. Some of them don't even have a communication exam to fail.