I recently failed my practical test. Although I got a fair amount of sympathy and encouragement on here I was still pretty dejected. So, I wrote this …
I am a novice where LGV driving is concerned but (trust me on this) I do have a PhD from the University of Hard Knocks. The following is based purely on my own experiences and opinions. If you find it helpful it has been worth my time writing it.
Many of the members of this forum have ‘sat where you are sitting’ — I certainly have. You probably feel dejected or angry or frustrated, or all three. I know I did.
We need to recognise and come to terms with our emotions. No-one gets through life without some failures. And I really do mean NO-ONE. Not Bill Gates, not Barak Obamah, not Einstein — no-one. We are all prone to mistakes. It is just a part of our lives. What comes after depends on how you take them and face them.
Life doesn’t have Winners and Losers. Nor does it have Successful People and Failures. It just has ‘people’, and that includes you and me. Progress is not just about ‘reaching the destination’ it is also about ‘making the journey’.
OK, off the soapbox now. So what sort of thinking do we need here?
Keep things in context. It was one small test — and we can take it again.
We came away with the ‘wrong’ piece of paper because we made a few mistakes. (Show me a person who never made a mistake and I will show you a person who never made anything).
The only punishment we get is the punishment we give ourselves.
Fortunately, there is good news and bad news — and we have already had the bad news (we failed a test) so let’s consider the good news.
We now know what to expect next time.
The examiner only did what our trainers do: He or she did us a favour by pointing-out some errors and ensured that we are not likely to make the same errors again. He or she did NOT judge US personally.
The majority of people who fail the first time pass at the second try (and the odds are even more in favour of people who fail twice or more). It is all part of moving up the learning curve.
We have done almost everything necessary to get a pass — our instructors would not have put us in for it otherwise. We are now down to fine-tuning the last 5-10%.
The rewards of passing are both financial and personal. We are working to build up our bank balances and our self-esteem. We failed to feel the euphoria of a pass last time — so take a minute to think how you (we) will feel next time, when you (we) do pass.
YOU (we) CAN pass this test — providing we view our experiences of previously failing as a positive thing — AND WE DON’T GIVE-UP. Determination is the final deciding factor, so be determined (or failing that, be ‘bloody minded’).
 
And what about LUCK?
Personally, I don’t believe that luck plays much part in this or in life generally. I believe progress is mainly down to attitude and preparation. When I pass I don’t want anyone to attribute it to luck — I want personal credit for the work I put in (both physical and psychological).
But if you don’t share my views on this let me remind you about Samuel Goldwyn who said, “The harder I work, the luckier I get”
So there we are. I will wish you ‘good luck’ if it helps but I would rather wish you a ‘positive mental attitude’.
OnlyAlan:
And what about LUCK?Personally, I don’t believe that luck plays much part in this or in life generally. I believe progress is mainly down to attitude and preparation. When I pass I don’t want anyone to attribute it to luck — I want personal credit for the work I put in (both physical and psychological).
But if you don’t share my views on this let me remind you about Samuel Goldwyn who said, “The harder I work, the luckier I get”
So there we are. I will wish you ‘good luck’ if it helps but I would rather wish you a ‘positive mental attitude’.
That is also why I never wish good luck to anyone going for test
That is also why I never wish good luck to anyone going for test
I’ve never thought about this so deeply! I automatically wish everyone “good luck” both in person and frequently on this forum. But what I really mean is “I wish you all the best with your efforts and hope your positive mental attitude is with you”. But it’s so much easier to just to say “good luck”! So can I be forgiven for continuing in my wicked ways please!
dunno about luck!
i’d failed 3 times with the same examiner,he kept telling me how to drive
4th time i had a guy who was covering from a different depot,
passed with 5 minors
is that luck or attitude?
paullus:
dunno about luck!
i’d failed 3 times with the same examiner,he kept telling me how to drive
4th time i had a guy who was covering from a different depot,
passed with 5 minors
is that luck or attitude?
Attitude, every time.
It was attitude, not luck, that stopped you giving-up. Seriously good mental attitude that took you back after the first three experiences.
And what was your attitude as you sat in that cab, once you had realised you had a different examiner? My guess is that your attitude to the test you passed was very different your attitude in the previous one.
Congratulations on getting there and congratulations on keeping such a positive attitude throughout - you proved how important it is. And (without sounding patronising), you have your licence entirely due to your your ability - not luck.
Firstly lets see what the word means. 2 definitions I have found may help here.
“Luck is good fortune which occurs beyond one’s control, without regard to one’s will, intention, or desired result.”
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
Lets take a case where somebody attempts the test with no practice at all. Just go in cold. We can certainly count out the 2nd definition as there has been no preparation. You would certainly need the 1st one to kick in.
If the person had practised more before the test he would need less of the 1st as the 2nd begins gaining momentum. Even more practice and eventually the physical preparation is sufficient to not really depend on the 1st definition at all. All that’s missing now is the mental preparation and that is where the skill of the trainer comes in. His words, put together in the right order for that person can make or break the result, however much physical preparation there has been.
So do we need luck? I would say not. However we don’t need bad luck !
Hi Alan, I haven’t read the whole of this post; just saw that you missed it the first time and wantedto wish you THE BEST OF LUCK for your next crack at it.
Rich
