My reflection of 2016

As we are drawing towards the end of 2016, it’s a time many (including myself) use to reflect on the year. I participated in a meeting last week were we were asked, "has 2016 been an excellent year for you? How are you ending this year?"

Automatically my thoughts went to all the things I did not achieve; like not passing one of the required exams needed to qualify as a US attorney; the multistate bar exam. However, God shifted my mind to think about the way I reacted when I received my results. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, dwelling in self-pity, crying, being overly upset etc, I reacted positively. 

Of course I was disappointed at first because I spent a lot of money, time and effort into the course and travelling to the States from the UK to sit the two-day exam, but I looked at it as a learning curve, an opportunity to see where I went wrong and work on developing my exam preparation strategies and applying myself even more so I can pass next time.

It was my first attempt, having only 5 months to prepare for the exam in the UK, learning the law of a foreign country that is different to mine and still working full time for most of the time leading up to the exam. The score I got was not far from passing, so I just needed that extra bit.

Before I received my results, I was actually afraid to fail this exam.  I was so anxious and constantly praying that I wouldn't fail because I did not know how I would react. I don’t usually fail when it comes to exams, in fact I only recall failing one exam at university. But a week before the results came out, I let it go. I let the fear and anxiety go and decided I would deal positively with the result no matter what it was. Failure does not mean I AM a failure, but that I just have to do better and work harder.

This year I saw that I matured as a person. I matured in the face of adversity, when dealing with bad news, not always getting what I want, how I want and in other things which made this year an excellent one for me. I say this because the way we respond to things and decide to look at them, impacts on our future and how things will eventually turn out. I became more determined, not giving up at the first hurdle or obstacle and finally after so long, I found myself, through investing more in me and loving who I am becoming.

So no, I did not achieve all the goals that I set out to achieve but the change inside of me, the changed mind-set and the way I do things, made it a great year for me. The lessons learned, the experiences I faced and overcame has shaped me into a better person and I look forward to what 2017 brings because 2016 was like training ground.

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

P.S, I received my exam results today for one of required exams I needed to qualify as a US attorney and I passed. I was so happy and it’s like that added motivation and confidence to go into 2017 and smash the multistate bar exam!