UPSC preparation is not a battle, but a long war. Here, you can enter the game with lots of hope, aspirations, and fancy dreams. But exiting without success would be full of sorrows and cries. If you win, you win a competitive exam. But if you lose, you lose the confidence of not only yourself but also of your parents and close friends. Hence, you have greater responsibility to tread the path carefully.
But we are all humans. We are prone to temptations and cravings for sensual desires. Our senses will be pulled towards various negative indulgences. They may help to excite our hormones. But they drain our vital physical and mental energies. Thousands and lakhs of seekers have walked on this earth. Only a few could be able to become Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ, Mahaveera. It’s not that only a few have put in the highest efforts. But existence favors only those who put efforts selflessly and who surrenders completely to the process.
We don’t have to become a sage or a great personality. We just want to clear this exam and exit this arduous journey with a decent rank and smile on the face. You may solve 50 Mock Tests, complete the syllabus twice, seek guidance from mentors, join online classes, read motivational articles but a bad 2 hours on the prelims day may shatter all your dreams. You have to start the process all over again. You will have to wait for the next year’s Prelims once again. You will be back to square one.
The important ingredient for success in this exam is the Purity of Self-Conduct. Gandhiji attributes success in his political or personal life to his self-cultivated conduct. His personality started attracting as he started going deeper and deeper into his quest for God, the Truth. If you read the biographies of great personalities such as Swami Vivekananda, R Tagore, Tolstoy, etc, you will realize that their success in the external is a mere reflection of their efforts in the internal world.
Hence, try to start working on self-purification. Try to be truthful and honest in Thoughts, Emotions, and Behavior. Be vigilant on the negative forces. Whenever you are being dragged towards downfalling activities, or sensual desires craving thoughts, or indulgence stimulating emotions, Snap your fingers, slap your face, and wake up!
Because this one war you must fight fiercely in your life. You need all the power to fight against evil and achieve glory. Your Self, your wellwishers, and most importantly your Parents are waiting every day to see you with the achievements in Life not just in Exam.
