Asyiqin: Insecurities

I think we all know what is happening right this instant. Yes the time is ripe; our chance to face our worst fear is slowly but surely approaching. Yes, it’s probably going through your minds right now, don’t deny it. Uh-huh, the O-Level Exams. The pressure is building. Expectations from our family are made clear. Are you geared up for it? Will you disappoint or amaze? Or will you withdraw? Will you achieve at what you’re aiming? What else can you do to make the outcome more convincing? Are you handling the pressure well? Are you doing the best you can?

Let me tell you, my dear listeners, while you’re thinking about the answers to these questions you are slowly letting time pass you by. And by doing that, you are actually wasting the time given to you to essentially do something! My analysis was made after a certain someone made that clear to me. His statement made me realize that I was actually giving away my valuable time without getting anything other than more uncertainties in return.

Whenever you feel insecure about things it’s best not to think about it. I’m going to quote what a shrewd man once stated – “If there was a mountain of laundry piled at your feet so much so that you aren’t able to take a single step, what would you do in such a scenario? And let’s say; you don’t even have a washing machine, so you have to wash them all by hand, you’d be overwhelmed, right? Can you really finish washing all those clothes? Will you really be able to clean them all? Can you really do a good job of it?”

“The more you think about it, the more uncertain you get and yet as you are thinking, time is slowly passing you by. So, what should you do? Perhaps the best thing to do is deal with the clothes right by your feet. Start washing those first and see how it goes from there. Sure, it’s important to look ahead to the future but if your eyes are too fixated on it the clothes right by your feet is going to trip you up and you’ll end up falling on your face, right?”

“The ‘present’ is also important. What you can do ‘today’. You’ll find that as you wash the pieces one by one before you know it your reward will be waiting for you. And if times you start feeling uncertain or insecure, just take a moment and relax. Read a book, play some games or watch some TV.”

Probably some of you realized what he was trying to say. But to say it simply - if ever you feel insecure, don’t start thinking about it or you will get even more insecure and that will not help! Thinking about it is not all that bad but at the same time you should actually do something about it. Wanting to achieve something without putting in effort is an obviously wishful thinking.

When you have questions like: What did I do wrong this time; I thought I studied hard for this test. Maybe there’s something wrong with me? Maybe I’m not smart enough for this subject? What am I going to do now? - Try to stop for a moment and actually look through the test paper again calmly with you’re mind thinking straight and not trying to answer those stressful questions in your head. If you do that, you might be able to find your faults and focus on improving on that particular mistake. Slowly, I’m sure you will be able to overcome this problem.

And since we’re on the ‘I studied really hard for this test’ topic, let me tell you, studying only OVERNIGHT is NOT what everyone in this whole wide world should call studying hard! It is called studying LAST MINUTE and not studying hard. Yup, that’s the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

If you find your situation is too overwhelming, take a deep breath and clear your mind. Stop trying to think negatively and look at the bright side. If you didn’t do well in your test, perhaps instead of undermining yourself take the fact that you didn’t do so well as a lesson. Instead of giving up, study that topic and try to understand it or ask your teacher about it. It is not wrong to ask your teacher, they won’t eat you. And if ego is the reason preventing you from asking about things which confuses you then maybe it’s time to get rid of that ego.

I hope you take this statement seriously because that is the problem with students nowadays. Being insecure is one thing but being too overconfident is another different story. On a small note, being overconfident is a good trait but you should also take the time to consider that you are not all that invincible, you will taste defeat but what you must do is embrace your defeat and stand up once again.

And now for my closing quote: ‘It is not the destination but the journey.’