Hey, Queens! 🌸
As we stand at the crossroads of exam results, starting your new journeys into the next part of adulthood, education, work and also just being at a crossroads with what you want to do next and reflecting on your hard work, there’s one thing we need to remember: life is what we make it! Whether you’re riding high on the success of your grades or feeling down because things didn’t go exactly as planned, it’s important to take a step back, breathe, and remember that our journey doesn’t stop here.
Rule Number 1: Celebrating Your Wins 🏆
First things first – if you got the results you were aiming for, CONGRATS, QUEEN! 👑 You put in the work, sacrificed sleep, balanced everything life threw at you, and came out victorious! Your success is a testament to your dedication and strength. Take a moment to appreciate yourself. Celebrate. Scream if you need too. You earned this win. This is proof that when we give our all, the rewards can be sweet. But even more than that, this is a moment to recognize how capable and resilient you are, and remembering that: You can do hard things.
But What If It Didn’t Go As Planned? 🤔1
Not everything always goes to plan – and let’s be honest, it can hurt. I won’t sugarcoat it, it can feel really sh*tty and really frustrating. it’s disappointing when you don’t hit your goals or when you know you haven’t put as much work in as you would have liked. The sinking feeling is real, and it’s okay to feel it. But here’s the thing, Queen: failure doesn’t define you. What defines you is what you do next. Failures are bricks – heavy, yes – but bricks that we can use to build the foundation for the future. *Failing forward* means taking that disappointment, learning from it, and growing stronger because of it.
Ask yourself: What can I learn from this experience? Did I need better time management, a different study strategy, or maybe more self-belief? Was life simply getting in the way and felt a little too heavy? Did you have the right support system at school? If not, what could they have done better? Be angry at this, but also don’t use this as an excuse. Lay your bricks one by one, to create a solid foundation moving forward. Once you’ve answered that, let’s build on it! Each failure is a lesson disguised as a challenge, and guess what? Resilient young women – like YOU – thrive in challenges.
Ruler number 2: There’s ALWAYS a Plan B 💡
We often put so much pressure on Plan A that we forget how many other letters there are in the alphabet. If one door closes, don’t stare at it too long. There are doors, windows, and entire skylights waiting to be opened if we’re willing to see them. Strong women don’t just stick to Plan A – they adapt, innovate, and pivot. Life rarely goes exactly as we plan, but that’s okay. What matters is how we respond. Plan B (or C or D!) might just lead you somewhere even better. I remember being younger, and leaving college to live in Manchester, where I went to drama college to eventually go onto drama school! At the same time, an agent from acting had scouted me from my showcase and I had also being accepted onto a acting scholarship at the same time.. it was a real cross road moment for me and in the end, I decided to study Psychology at the Uni Of Manchester.. something I never planned to do. My point is this: plans will always change, it’s just how we adapt to them.
Understanding the Power of Resilience 💪
The real win isn’t in just getting the results you wanted – it’s in how you carry yourself through the ups *and* downs. Life isn’t all rainbows and butterflies, it’s also lots of sour lemons and rainy days! That si where resilience is built. What is resilience? Resilience is when you choose to keep moving forward, even when things feel tough. Strong women aren’t born – they’re shaped through these experiences, these setbacks, and these victories. You, are a resilient strong, courageous and beautiful young woman reading this!
Ruler number 3: Celebrate Every Achievement – Big or Small 🎉
Maybe you didn’t get straight As, but did you work harder than last time? Did you improve in a subject you struggled with? Did you learn more about how you study best? Did you learn what your distractions are, or what you would do better next time? Was you going through something during the exam season,, that others might not have been? Recognising all of these factors are actually all achievements worth celebrating! Growth isn’t just about the final outcome – it’s about progress. Celebrate those steps, because each one really does count and in the long run, it’s what defines your journey! When I speak about success, or you hear others speak about success – it’s not the big moments that make it worth listening too, it’s being able to relate to the struggle, the ups and downs and the journey that makes it worth listening too, the ‘BIG’ success part is the inspiration. But actually, success is all the little bit’s in-between, never ever forget that.
Let’s Move Forward, Together Queen 💕
As you reflect on this blog and your results, I kindly ask you to take the time to congratulate yourself on your wins and give yourself grace for the setbacks, please! Success ISN’T a straight line, it’s also not what our family, friends & social media define it as – it’s a journey full of twists, turns, and unexpected detours. Whether you’re riding high or regrouping for your next move, know that there’s always another way forward. Always. It’s about knowing that, there is always a way out of things – you can resit exams, you can change your mind at any moment about what it is that you want to do, and it’s about inner-standing that not everyone is academic and that is fine! Some people may be super creative, super sporty, wanting to build up a YouTube platform etc, and that too is ok! As long as you at least try in your exams.
Keep going, keep growing, and always celebrate yourself. Life is what we make it, and you, girl, have the power to make it incredible – brick by brick, win by win, loss by loss, lesson by lesson.
Here’s to failing forward, achieving forward and celebrating fiercely! 🎉✨
With love,
Your Big Sis, Bronte 💖
