I want to open the column this week by saying thankyou to all the readers who passed on their best wishes for my close friend Tony who I wrote about last week.

I do appreciate you taking time to read the column and caring.

This week the Hope4Life programme had the privilege of visiting ClearWater Middle School.

The young students there were great and I must commend the staff for a fine job they are doing.

I know it's not easy these days but watching the respect and discipline of students shows how much hard work has been put in.

It's amazing how things work, I was hurting my head trying to find the right topic for the column this week until I walked into a close friend's office and asked her what I should write about.

No more than 10 seconds had past when she said I should talk about young people preparing for their upcoming exams.

I think this is a great topic. For me to be a professional player/coach and business person I had to have some sort of education. You would not make it too far without education. The basics and school is where it all starts.

I know many will be a little stressed about the grade they want as they preparer for their exams. Some will be sitting at home nervously wondering if they are ready, or even feeling that it all will come together on test day.

Preparing for a test is not the easiest thing to do if you have not prepared yourself throughout the whole school year.

You have to spend many hours staying focused and making sure you are not distracted because when the final grade comes you do not want to say "what if".

So, my advice is to relax and do not get stressed. Instead sacrifice and prepare.

Exams can be life changing, so take them seriously so you can enjoy your summer.

Your effort is important, your focus will be key, you will need to put down the PlayStation and other distractions, put the cell phones on mute and prepare because you do not want to be the one sitting home stressing, waiting for that final grade, not sure how you have done.

If you prepare you will know and feel the results, you will feel at ease and confident because you were committed 100 percent.

As I finish this column this week I want you to also note that exams do not stop in the school, they are around you every day.

It's a challenge that will never end, especially if you want to be successful. So never get complacent and feel that it's over, just get yourself ready for the many more ahead.

Until next time!