What Kind of PMP Aspirant Are You? - Carrot, Egg or Tea Leaf
"Increase the probability and impact of positive events, and decrease the probability and impact of negative events" ? PMBOK Chapter 11
"It makes a big difference in your life when you stay positive." - Ellen DeGeneres, in her book "Seriously... I'm Kidding"
Most
of us in this fast-paced world, try to get most of things done under the
shortest duration. So there are certain tasks that can't be multi-tasked and
definitely requires our complete attention. The Project Management Professional
(PMP) Certification is also one such complete attention grabbing assignment.
For
some aspirants, learning comes naturally and for others it's a chore that is
strenuous to carry out. But remember whatever your learning energy schema may
be, PMP Certification is a accomplishment that you must aim for and acquire
it.
When
looking at the study process and getting to know the theory of what you have
understood through experience may seem difficult but not unachievable. It all
depends on how you view the difficulty that you are facing in the course of
your PMP study.
There
is a nice Jim-Jam story that we at School of PM have come up for you. The story
begins somewhat like this:-
There
was once a young woman whose mother was unwell and asked her to help with
running her bakery for that day. The daughter had very little knowledge of running
the bakery and had the most stressful working day. When she returned home that
evening completely dejected and dishearten, the young woman wondered how her
mother ran the most successful bakery in the town.
Her
mother had been running the bakery since her husband had passed away. She now
understood what her mother was going through on every single day to run it so
well.
When
she reached home her mother was waiting for her eagerly. Every mother is happy
to encourage and cheer their off-springs and no doubt the young woman's mother
also felt so. But when her mother saw the stress lines farrowing her brow. She
asked the young woman gently how her day had been.
Young
woman replied that she couldn't take the stress and strain of running a bakery.
She felt that she lacked the talent that her mother possessed in making the
business a success. Understanding her child's gloominess the mother suggested
that they both go into the kitchen for some refresher lessons on running a
successful bakery.
The
Mother asked her daughter to get three saucepans, a carrot, an egg and some tea
leaves. She asked her daughter to pour water into the three saucepans and bring
it to a boil. Then she asked her daughter to put the carrot in one, the egg in
another and add tea leaves to the last one.
They
left the three saucepans on the stove to simmer. After sometime the mother
asked her daughter what was that she saw. The daughter replied that the carrot,
the egg and the tea leaves have been cooked. But her mother was not happy with
her reply. 'Why, am I not right?' questioned the daughter.
The
mother replied, "Yes and no."
She
then explained her theory in greater detail. She said that the carrot was
already hard and when it faced a situational challenge it became softer,
meaning cooked. Whereas the egg was fragile from the beginning but a
situational challenge made it hard inside. But the tea leave stood no chance
since it was neither hard nor fragile; it was simply non-consequential to the
water which immediately mingled with it.
The
mother asked her daughter to smell the tea and asked her what she found in it.
The daughter replied that she could smell the flavor of the tea and the water
had changed color. The mother was happy to see that her daughter understood the
hidden question that she place before her.
The
mother explained that the tea during a situational challenge lost its form but
changed the challenging factor. The carrot and the egg did not change the water
color but the tea leaves turned the water's color thus influencing a change
over the challenge.
So
let us not do away with the moral of the story as merely childish but simply
put in plain English it means much to a Project Manager. Though the PMP Exam
may be a challenge that would be so difficult and it may eventually change you
at the end.
You
may start out very strong and become soften by the hardship of strains of
studying for the Exam and walk away. Or you might come with fear of the Exam
and when faced with new challenges may get distracted from your study.
Come
to our PMP class with open-mindedness. We are not saying that there is no
challenge to face but we ask you to dissolve yourself in the tough track of
diligent hard work and turn the stress of a PMP Exam into a worthy
accomplishment for you. Make it a point to be like the tea and change that
challenge into a positive spin for your PMP Certification goal.
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