One Secret Formula to Succeed in UPSC
A man has purchased a cow, and he is not accustomed to dealing with cows. So he was trying to drag the cow along holding its horns, and the cow was not pleased and resisted without moving an inch forward. The cow wanted to go to her home, she wanted to go to her old owner.
An old Hindu Saint was watching.
He said to the man, “It seems you are very new; you don’t know how to handle cows. This is not the right way.”
The man said, “What should I do, because I am not that strong. The cow is stronger; she is dragging me with her.”
The saint gave him some lush green grass, and told him, “Leave her horns. You take this grass and just move ahead of her. Keep the grass very close by, but don’t allow her to eat it. As she moves towards the grass, you go on moving towards your home.”
And it worked.
The cow came because the grass was so close and so green and so fresh. She forgot all about her previous owner; for her, the immediate problem was how to get this grass. And it was so close, just hanging in front of her eyes. But the man went on moving slowly, the distance between the cow and the grass remained the same. And she entered into the house of the new owner without any other thoughts, and the new owner soon closed the door.
In this highly attractive World, we are always being pulled by various Temptations (Netflix-movies, Youtube stand up-comedy shows, TED talks, motivational videos etc), Informations (CoViD, Lockdowns, News on Exam postponement, etc) and Plans and materials (subscription to multiple portals, pirated test series copies, WhatsApp University scholarly articles). And they create a lot of inertia in our mind. The more the distraction, the lesser you focus – or even do nothing useful. With mental Inertia it is very difficult to stay focussed and to walk an extra mile in your efforts. You would be easily drifted away from your goals. As you are unable to complete your daily targets, you will see yourself getting drowned in poor Self-confidence, Frustration and and eventually into Depression.
The only secret formula for success in UPSC or any other field of life is CONSISTENT and FOCUSSED EFFORTS. We have to use the advice of the Old Saint. You are the owner and your mind is like a newly bought cow. It wants to return for the old habits of comforts and instant gratifications.
Hence, you need to keep the grass in-front of it for every small goal. Here, the grass could be: “the reason why I started this journey” or “the smile and happiness I could bring upon the face of my parents when they see my success” or “the larger impact I can bring in the society” or “the pride I get in serving the nation”. There are hundreds of reasons. Choose the strongest one and let your mind focus only on this reason. In this world full of distractions, nothing will affect your mind as long as it has found its reason to follow a path blindly, like the cow did.
These strong reasons need small daily nourishments. Without greener grass to chase, the mind can still wander away. Keep your grass green by showing utmost consistency in following initiatives such as Insta 75 Days Revision Plan, Daily CA, Static quizzes, Insta Revision modules etc. Come what may, never lose focus while following these small initiatives which will actually have profound impact later.
In these disturbing times, everything seems uncertain. Including life. Don’t get philosophical. Humans are known to battle anything and then get back to normal life faster. We will have our freedom from the virus and from our minds in a few weeks. Till then, make use of the time to improve your chances of clearing this exam. You should not regret later, the lost opportunity.
Wish you all the Best and be assured that Insights will always make sure that your grass is greener.
