Self Motivation and Success
Raju Mishra, IAS (CSE-2014)
How to motivate oneself during this long , arduous preparation? I have often received mails regarding the same and Vinay Sir had asked me to write short posts on motivation so here it is.
I do agree with a lot of people that motivation is that fire in the belly that you and only you can ignite. Having said that we are often bogged down by insecurities. Your friends in corporate sector maybe earning millions in bonus, or be in IIM’s going on foreign exchanges with a million dollar career all set – while you languish at home or in the gallis of Mukherjee Nagar and Old Rajinder Nagar. Doubt does creep in that what if I don’t make it ? What will society, my friends , family etc think of me? will I be able to handle the pressure? this that and so many other negative thoughts keep haunting you.
Nearly everyone who has made it to the list including myself have felt this. It is during these times that your support structures come into picture. I used to discuss with my roommate Shivanshu (henceforth Shifu like Kung fu Panda :D) about all this and he is an optimist of the first order. Hence always have a positive set of friends around you, ones who challenge you to work harder, test your knowledge and when you get tired in the long marathon also fetch water to keep you going . I was lucky to have such friends and hope you find them too.
Family obviously was another pillar of support. Like many of us even my family especially my father had always dreamt of me making it to the IAS and in times of distress or when bogged down I used to think of a simple fact that all the money in the world would not make me happy or him happy. So all these million dollar jobs / bonuses / perks melted away.
I concluded my Winter Study Tour ( Bharat Darshan in popular parlance ) and trust me the stories of people in the civil services working in remote forests and far off islands make you realize the true meaning of the word service . Do not worry about the job you left or the corporate road not taken: when a girl gets better education because of you, or when you save someone from a rioting crowd or ensure smooth functioning of roads/railways, or when you build homes for the homeless – the satisfaction you get is unparalleled . The glow on the faces of those civil servants dedicated to this nation was unmatched. So give it another try, another push for your dream job at the mother of all examinations to serve our motherland.
Personally I have already told about the article on Why I wanted to join the IAS – which used to show me the light after say a poor test series or when I thought it was just too big a mountain to climb . These times I used to watch videos of various batches of LBSNAA – their cultural, lifestyle and calling on the President by members of the civil services.
When I saw Gaurav agarwal, Dhaval Jain or numerous other toppers giving speeches at the Royal Durbar Hall in Rashtrapati Bhavan it really used to pump me up. Why not me I thought ? Someday I want to make that speech. I will make that speech – I used to tell myself, and friends I did make that speech on 23rd February 2016. Trust me visiting these modern citadels in itself was an experience that makes all the efforts worth it .
They say it’s your life make it large. Live the way you want. God forbid if you fail it is your failure and an experience you wanted. It’s always better to try something and fail rather than not try at all. To gauge the depth of the river you ought to step into the waters ! Do you really want to be stuck in a job just because someone else wanted you to be stuck in it with zero interest of yours? please don’t. Make your choices, love what you do and do what you love. Read the Stanford speech by Steve Jobs. Its an amazing piece for motivation !
In the army attachment I was on night duty when I enquired of a Jawan as to why he had chosen this life wondering at his stare at trees for hours anticipating enemy infiltration at the LOC in such physical hardships and emotional turmoil away from his family to months at stretch. He replied “ Sir, this is the life I have chosen. To protect my country with pride, honour and dignity”.
Again, this is the life you have chosen, so don’t have second thoughts about it. Give your mind body soul to it and emerge victorious, you definitely will !
Wish you all the best!
