{"id":1498,"date":"2018-05-11T23:57:47","date_gmt":"2018-05-11T23:57:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/?p=1498"},"modified":"2018-05-11T23:57:47","modified_gmt":"2018-05-11T23:57:47","slug":"the-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/2018\/05\/11\/the-test\/","title":{"rendered":"The Test"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Spelling tests in grade school, then high school quizzes, midterms and finals\u2014our early lives are filled with tests. And throughout life we have tests on many levels.<\/p>\n

This month I had to take a written test to renew my driver\u2019s license. \u00a0I went to the local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office and got a copy of the state Driver\u2019s Handbook, marking relevant sections with yellow highlighter. I took the two sample tests in the booklet and five additional tests online. But still I was worried and anxious.<\/p>\n

This test brought another test to the surface, an emotional test, as I vacillated between two tracks in my mind: the practical track, focused on the rules of the road, and the anxiety track filled with fears of failing and losing my license. When I studied for the test, the fear track would ambush me, interfering with my practical track ability to review the rules of the road.<\/p>\n

Do you have two tracks in your mind when you face a test–one that moves you forward to approach your goal and another filled with fear and trepidation?<\/p>\n

If so, then your test, like mine, is a test of faith\u2014in ourselves, the world, and our future. Quite often, new challenges bring up old fears of inadequacy dating back to our childhood when an authority figure\u2014a teacher, coach, or parent told us we were \u201cnot good enough,\u201d making us feel like a failure.<\/p>\n

The next time you feel like this, take a moment to release the old patterns from the past or fearful visions of the future so you can return to the present moment.<\/p>\n