Stress is Five Consecutive Dots

I feel crappy today. I just attempted to lab up the section which I had difficulty during my exam and guess what, the 5 bangs I've been trying to squeeze out of the router that day is streaming effortlessly now in front of me. I'm pretty sure that I'm recreating it now the same way as what I had in my exam. I remember thinking when I started reading the exam that it should be a straightforward task but after configuring my routers, it just wouldn't work. I must have been violently hitting on the keyboard trying to outdo the CCIE voice examinee beside me, who was banging the phones' handset furiously throughout the day.

Which draws me to my conclusion why I failed my first attempt, stress and self-induced pressure got the best of me.

But then again maybe there was some hidden issue that I completely missed. If that is true, then it points back to the original problem, I must have been so stressed out that I missed the problematic issue. So stress management is not something that you can ignore. I knew part of me was confident and ready that DAY, but part of me was really anxious and worried. I can't sleep the night before the exam. And I did the ultimate sin, I crammed the day before the exam! Well, it's not really cramming but I wen't over all my study notes and sample configurations. Old college habits just die hard.

Like many people who thinks life's manual guide can be found in the Internet, I turned to Lifehacker for help. There were many articles on relaxation techniques ie. breathing patterns, meditation, accupressure etc. instantstressmanagement.com looks helpful but I haven't really read through it. But rest assure learning at least one of the stress-management techniques is already in my CCIE preparation to-do list.


Also, I've remember reading somewhere that you should stop studying a few days before the exam. Maybe it's good idea to follow this advice. I should have listened to my wife when she was telling me to slow down and relax.

So on my next lab attempt, if ever I see those five consecutive dots again, I will break out into the lotus position, visualize my happy place and breathe out a long A000000000MMMMMMMMMM.