Tip: This is just a test!
Tip of the Week
09/23/13
Tip: This is just a test!
When I was a young boy, I always looked forward to watching the Friday night fights on television with my father. Since he worked long hours and was gone a lot, we didn’t get to spend much time together. Friday nights were special to me because it was time with my dad. We watched the fights from 10:00 until 11:00 p.m. and then the television station would sign off for the night by playing the national anthem. Afterwards, a graphic of a Native American would appear across the screen and words that said, “This is a test!” The TV would then begin making a high pitched squealing noise. I remember asking my dad what that was about and he said that the television station had to run tests at night to make sure everything was working correctly. There was nothing wrong; it was just their way of signing off for the night while they ran some tests at the station.
I know some of you probably think I am making this up, but ask anyone over sixty years of age if they can remember those days and that experience and they will probably laugh and say, yes. I don’t know why I remember some of the things I do, but that was always a fond memory for me. Maybe it was just because of the time spent with my dad!
Then, in school we also had weekly tests and as I recall, most of the time they were on Fridays. I remember studying for them and trying to do my best. Sometimes I did well and other times I didn’t. If I could do those days over, I would prepare myself better and study harder. I didn’t realize then that the different tests I was taking in school in school were simply preparation for other tests that would be coming later in life!
Had I been more alert and more mature, I would have realized that the late night television tests, as well as the ones I experienced in school, were only an indication of what was to come because life is full of tests. We face them every day in business, in relationships, in choices, and just in life in general. The question is, will we give up and quit, or will we keep going? Will we hang in there and work harder and smarter, or will we simply take the easy way out and live in a spirit of failure and despair? Will we realize that the other people we are dealing with are part of our daily tests as well? Dealing with difficult situations and people could just be another test that we are going through in order to help us grow up and cause us to become better and stronger people.
By the way, the tests never end! I believe that if life could be given another name, it could simply be called, “The Test”.
If we are fortunate, we have seventy or eighty years on this earth. During that time we are given the opportunity to make many different decisions in all kinds of testing situations. Each of us has failed tests that we wish we could do over again. And, all of us have passed tests that we are grateful we were able to pass. That makes us feel good!
Let me leave you with a funny story to show you what I mean.
Not long ago, my wife, April decided to play a trick on me when she picked me up from the airport. She dressed up as an airline flight attendant so I would not recognize her. She had on a wig, a uniform, and was even pulling a small suitcase. As I was waiting for her on a bench outside the terminal, she walked by and said, “Hello.” I nodded and said, “Hi.” A few minutes later she walked by again and said, “Hello” and I again said, “Hi.” Then she sat down beside me, crossed her legs and pulled her skirt up a little bit. I couldn’t believe it! I thought to myself, “This woman is hitting on me in broad open daylight!” Then I looked over and realized, “That’s my wife!” I nearly jumped out of my skin! I said, “I can’t believe that’s you! I didn’t even recognize you!” She looked at me and said, “Oh, you SO passed that test!” Whew, I was glad for that!
So, I don’t know what test you are facing this week…it might be in business, in a relationship, it might be in money, or it might be in some other area of life. Just remember, do your best and help other people. Keep your character, integrity and morals raised high. Pass the test. Learn what you can from every test that comes your way and then be ready for the next one…and the next one. Just keep doing the next right thing. Remember that tests never end until you are dead! And that, my friend, is the best way to prepare yourself for life!
Tip: This is just a test!
Have a great week! God bless you!
Dr. Robert A. Rohm
