“When forced, as it seems, by circumstances into utter confusion, get a hold of yourself quickly. Don’t be locked out of the rhythm any longer than necessary. You’ll be able to keep the beat if you are constantly returning to it.”  Marcus Aurelius, Meditations.

For those receiving exam results that are not what they were hoping for…your emotions are temporary and will ebb away. What is left behind is your resolve. Take the time needed to find your feet again…but not too long. The rhythm or ‘flow’ that Marcus Aurelius speaks of might include a side-show that distracts you for a while as you re-group and lick your wounds.

I can still remember my A-level results day in 1984 and the feeling of disorientation and of all being lost. I got a job scrubbing floors at M&S, then worked in a sweetshop, then in a warehouse, before going to a different university a year later to study the subject I wanted. How much I changed in just 10 months; how much has changed since then; how much ground I have covered; how much more perspective I have gained. But I still remember how lost I felt at the time.