No matter how hard we work, how well we are accomplished, occasional (for some regular) dose of motivation is required to help us keep going. Despite reading so many things about Art & Culture; Environment; Current Events, you might still feel less confident at the end of the day. Some of you might even feel that despite reading and revising whole year, you feel like you know nothing. This happens when exam is nearing. Why? Because you are trying to recall everything at once! But if you are asked to recall a micro-detail, say something about Plate Tectonics, you will recall something. It is anxiety which makes you feel less confident. This affects your motivation level.
Here, the key to keep your motivation level high is to stay happy. Of course, knowing that you still have to finish India Year Book – 2015 within ten days won’t make you happy. But if you stay unhappy, you will be wasting all the knowledge you have gained by reading all other books till now. So, it is better to be happy and recall all other stuff you have read!
Staying positive and happy even if we lack something actually helps us achieve more. Happiness and progress are interrelated. If you do something productive today, you will sleep happily tonight. If write an answer, or complete revision of a book or revise your old notes – these things should make you happy. Somewhere in the corner of your head you will still be worrying about tasks yet to be finished. You should not focus on these worries. Tell your friend or parents that you are going to complete a task today and at any cost, try to complete it. You must try even if the task is big. What happens is – if the task is huge, you might even not try touching it. Because of fear of not completing it, you tend to leave it alone and the later feel guilty about it.This is dangerous. Try to finish even fifty percent of it. You will be a learned person at the end of the day.
Now coming to the Title of this article, all you want is a great rank. You are reading, writing, revising, discussing and thinking – yet, sometimes the goal you have set for yourself is invisible. How to stay focused and achieve what you want?
You will succeed if you are associated with people who have similar goals or even bigger goals. If you are among the company of people who are working hard towards achieving a same goal as yours, you will be compelled to work towards your goal. We have seen that a group of 2-3 friends who prepare extremely hard for this exam eventually clear it and get very good ranks. They may all get a rank at one shot. Or one guy will clear this time and the other next time. One gets IAS, the other gets IPS and another might end up with Indian Postal Service. In the end all will be successful. All are good posts. Moreover, if you have attempts, you can try next time and get a better rank and a better service.
So choose an environment where you can meet similar people. It can be online or offline, but better be offline. Make a group of 3 friends who are very serious, dedicated, positive and encouraging; and then start preparing.
Well, if you are alone right now, you don’t have to feel bad. Here at Insights extremely dedicated individuals write answers regularly and are getting top ranks. Think that they are next to you, get motivation and try to participate. Think that just like 2014 toppers who participated here, you too will be a topper next year.
When people join groups where change seems possible, the potential for that change to occur becomes more real. The groups you associate with often determine the type of person you become. For people who want improved health, association with other healthy people is usually the strongest and most direct path of change.(Source: Time Magazine)
A group can only remind you what you have to do, but ultimate motivation must come from within. Every time you postpone reading or writing, imagine the consequences. Imagine the fate of your parents. Imagine yourself not getting rank despite putting so much of effort.
You must remember that getting into service is not just a dream, but it is a necessity – both for you and for the society. Preparing every day productively is also a necessity. No one is forcing you to prepare for this exam. For most of you, it is a desire to achieve something big in life, or do something good for the society.
You will get a rank, provided, to repeat from above suggestions, you stay happy. Here we keep telling students to go with a smiling face to face the exam. It doesn’t matter how much you have read. If you enjoy the paper with a smiling face, lady luck might want to stay with you always (for you are a happy, hence attractive person). You might clear prelims exam by a single mark and go on to get a single digit rank. It all depends how positive you are and how big your smile is. (call it Smile Therapy if you want 🙂 )
In the remaining days before Prelims, try maximum to stay positive. Do not worry about things you have not read. Read as much as possible. Revise as much as possible. But never worry about things you may not have read or revised. If your head is calm and composed during the exam, even these things which you have not revised might flash (in the corner of exam hall) and you can recall answer to a seemingly difficult question.
The mind is everything. What you think you become. –Buddha
Buddha is right. Think you are going to be the next topper, go for the exam and give exam like a smiling Buddha (even if one or two questions on him comes in Prelims).
Mains journey will be even more exciting. As said above in this article, here (on Insights) you have a good group to keep you motivated and keep your preparation streamlined so that you not just aim to clear this exam, but clear it with a top rank. We say this with conviction, because this year’s result speaks for itself. Your name will be there in next year’s final list. Have no doubt about this.
Just make sure that the smile never fades from your face. Rest will be taken care of by your hard work and, the Lady Luck (Honestly don’t know if a male version of lady luck exists, ladies please don’t feel bad. You are The Luck)
