Have you ever tried again and again at a particular task only to succeed and fail at the same time? If you are not sure what I mean, how about this example? You stand at the end of a field and are asked to throw a ball beyond a line. Up the field are two lines. The nearest line is a reasonable distance. Another line is further up the field. The second line can be seen from your position. You know with effort you should be able to throw the ball just beyond that line. Here’s the deal though, both lines will yield you a passing effort, but the second line will grant you greater rewards. Your first throw falls just beyond the first line. You give more effort to the second throw, but the ball falls at the same point as your first throw. You redouble your energies for the third throw. It flies higher and further than the first two attempts, but lands just a few feet in front of the second line. It is a marked improvement worth pride, but still short of your goal.

This is the feeling I have had for the past few months. I am working on acquiring Apple certifications. The company I work for is putting me through the training classes I need, shuttling me to my destinations, and flipping the bill for the tests. While getting the certifications is an accomplishment, the company’s goal is to have me later teach the classes I am taking. The score required to be considered a teaching candidate is further beyond the score needed to just receive certification. I have already taken one test three times. The above example exactly illustrates my situation. I am four lousy points away from consideration. Another test and it’s in the bag. Hell, with the leap I made between test two and three, I could ace the fourth attempt. I figure that I must have answered all the possible questions at least once and correctly, but never on a single test. Bugger!I should be proud, but I can’t help feel disappointed. I made a huge improvement, but still missed my goal.