Make Life Interesting: View Everything as a Test

It’s helpful to view life as just a series of tests to be solved. Some of these tests were created by your own choices. Others are the result of randomness. 

Either way, the test still has to be taken and passed. It might be a test of your cleverness. Another day, it might be a test of your perseverance. This viewpoint makes life a little more interesting and less threatening. 

If you pass the test, great. If you don’t pass the test, that’s fine too. Failing a test highlights what you need to learn to advance further in life. 

Consider the advantages of looking at life as a series of interesting tests: 

1. It’s just a puzzle to be solved. View the goals and the obstacles in your life as puzzles to be solved. All puzzles have at least one solution. It doesn’t matter if it’s a crossword puzzle, maze, Rubik’s cube, or any other type of puzzle. There is a solution. And, it’s fun to try to figure that solution. 

• You can view your goals and challenges in the same way. They’re just puzzles with solutions that you have to figure out. 
• Dealing with this type of puzzle can be just as enjoyable as any other type of puzzle. In fact, it’s ultimately more enjoyable, because your life actually improves when you achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle. 

2. Don’t take it personally. You’re not too hard on yourself if you can’t get the last word or two on a crossword puzzle. You might feel a little frustrated, but you don’t feel like a complete failure. 

• Treat your life the same way. You might not solve the puzzles in your life immediately, but there’s no reason to take it personally. You just haven’t found the solution yet. 
• The biggest problem is never trying because you’re afraid you’ll fail. This is the same issue. If you don’t take it personally, you’ll never be worried about giving your best ideas your best effort. You’ll just act. 

3. Be curious. Instead of thinking, “I want to make a million dollars, but I’ll probably be a failure and look like an idiot,” think, “I wonder what it takes for the average person to make a million dollars. I’m going to find out!” 

• Have a curiosity for life and its solutions. Be curious about what it takes to become wealthy, lose weight, have a great relationship, or accomplish whatever it is you want to accomplish. 

4. Create a plan and see if you’re correct. When you had a test in high school, you prepared for the test, took the test, and then found out if you were correct. As an adult, you formulate a plan, put it into action, and then find out if you’re correct or not. 

5. Master the art of failing. Life is a little trickier than high school, but the basic idea is the same. Your results will teach you what you need to learn. Your results show you how you need to spend your time going forward. 

• Poor results mean you need to come up with a new idea. Good results suggest that you’re on the right track. 
• Failure is a very powerful thing if used properly. Master using failure to your advantage and life becomes infinitely easier. 

Life doesn’t have to be viewed as a threatening place where your ego is constantly under fire. Just see life as a series of tests, puzzles, or challenges to overcome. As long as you try, you’ll learn something and eventually be victorious. Everything is just a test. If you don’t pass, you’re free to take the test again without penalty.