The Test Was Never The Test

I see it often in the landscape of Business.

I just completed this Test to become an XYZ!

It doesn't matter what the Test is for.

It could be an Educational Degree, such as a Masters or Doctorates.

It could be a Certification, such as is common with Coaches or Consultants.

It could be a Board Recognition, such as many Professions require in certain parts of the world.

In Life, there are a LOT of Tests that you can take.

95% of the time it Means very little.

Now, I'm not saying that the Degree/Certification/Recognition "itself" doesn't Mean anything (though sometimes that is true too).

No, what I'm saying is that our having obtained it Means Little.

Why?

So many people think that The Test required to "get" the Degree/Certification/Recognition was "The Test".

We put in countless hours of Studying.

So much Stress and Struggle goes into getting all of the Requirements done.

We set our Sights so firmly on the Date of the Test.

It draws closer.

There is a mix of Fear, Dread, Hope, and Excitement that builds up as each Day brings us closer.

Then it happens, it's the Day of the Test!

We always feel Awful during the Test, thinking we should have Studied and Prepared more.

But it only gets worse when we Submit the Test and then are required to wait for the Results.

If you're lucky, you get them almost Immediately.

If not, the Process can sometimes take months.

Eventually, we see the Results...

Passed.

YES!

I DID IT!

I'm FINALLY an XYZ!

You announce it to the world, post it on LinkedIn, and tell everyone the Good News!

However, I have a dose of Reality that I must hit you with, and it won't feel good...

But it's Necessary.

I'm Proud you Passed that Test, but THAT was never the REAL Test.

If you Believe that the Piece of Paper you have received is going to take you far, I MUST let you know that it isn't True.

Getting that piece of Paper may indeed be an Accomplishment of Merit, but the REAL Test is what you do WITH it.

The Problem I so often see is that people will get that piece of Paper and think that the "Paper" does the Work.

They think it will provide a Job, draw New Clients into the Door, and make people treat you with Respect.

It doesn't.

The Test you took was never the Real Test.

What is the Real Test then?

It all comes down to what you DO after.

What will determine your Success is your Action OUTSIDE of the Standardized Test.

What do you DO with what you've Achieved?

I see so many people get that piece of Paper, in whatever Industry, for whatever Skill, and then...

A Month?

A Quarter?

A Year Later?

Nothing.

They aren't doing anything with whatever that Paper is for.

The Test was never The Test.

The Paper itself is only a starting point.

It is only an Indicator of a direction you "could" go.

It may have taken a LOT of Work to get that Paper, but the REAL Work begins after you've gotten it.

Are you WORTHY of what is on that Paper?

Are you WORTHY of whatever Title it may give?

Only One thing will determine if you are Truly WORTHY.

What you DO!

A Title is Worthless without Work.

A Piece of Paper doesn't prove your Character.

What you DO every single day will determine who you Become.

The "Test" is not something that happens on a single day.

The Real TEST is what you DO Every Single Day of your Life.

Starting Today.

Starting Now.