Developing a Winner's Mindset

 The journey of a successful candidate of any competitive exam, be it SSC, UPSC, JEE, etc is usually defined by their hardwork, determination, patience, consistency, etc. The least talked and perhaps the most important aspect is the mindset, training yourself mentally and psychologically is equally important, if you aspire to succeed in the crowd of lakhs.

In this post lets decode my mental preparation for this exam.

Develop a positive pressure

I met many people after the results got declared. They all had this one question "How did you clear such a difficult exam in first attempt?". But let me tell you this was not my first attempt, I always considered this as my last attempt. For an aspirant who has already given 4 attempts, try this mental exercise, treat your next attempt not as 5th but your last attempt. Pour all your hardwork, concentration and time to finally make it in the list.

The Power of Imagination

We all may belong to different backgrounds but we all do have an equal right to dream. The first step towards achieving the goal is dreaming about your success. I am often asked "Sir how to cope up with the low phases of prep?". My most simple yet impactful tool is the power of imagination. Whenever I found myself in such low phase, I would simply close my eyes and imagine the happiness of my parents, how proud they would be when I deliver them the news of me becoming an IAS. 

CLARITY OF THOUGHT.

You are entering an exam where years will pass so fast that you would have a little time to evaluate and even reconsider for an alternative career. Hence :

1. limit yourself to a maximum number of attempts you would give to this exam, after which picking a Plan B becomes your priority. For me this limit was 2 attempts after which I would have taken some private job and simultaneously prepared for the exam.
2. lay out a roadmap for next one year in terms of syllabus completion, answer writing, test series, etc. Efficiently monitor your monthly and weekly targets.
3. DO NOT GET INFLUENCED by new strategies once you have fixed yours. In market/internet you will find plethora of resources, but you must be wise enough to trust your own notes and resources to ace the exam.

There is nothing like motivation.

Motivation in the most simplest language means, external force that pushes you to achieve the desired goal. Aspirants run after multiple sources of motivation, be it their parents/teachers motivating them, seeing toppers on social media, royal entry videos, etc. I will ask you a simple question " Why do you want to become a civil servant ?" , think over it , take a day or two. Do you have a genuine answer to this question? If yes, then you do not need any third person to motivate you in achieving the goal. The ones who are dependent on motivation will always be inconsistent and unstable in their journey.

Determination is the key

If you really have the passion to achieve something, their will be a consistent inner voice which will always push you to be in the right trajectory and uplift you in the low phases and that is called the voice of Determination. For example if cricket interests you, then do you require your parents to motivate you to play the game or is it just the internal voice that always pushes you towards it, then why cant this be applied to UPSC as well. You have a career goal and a passion to achieve it hence if you are determined enough , you will surely succeed.

The Herd mentality.

The thing that makes UPSC tough is not the syllabus, but the competition and amount of people who get eliminated in each of the subsequent stage. The most common notion is "Is exam mein sirf 1100 candidates select hote hai, baaki 8-9 lakh logo ka kya?" "Only 1100 candidates get successful in this exam, what about the left 8-9 lakh?". You see this perception leads to a mental trauma among many, as they fear themselves among the herd of left 8-9 lakh. But let me tell you my perspective of looking at this exam, "Mujhe sirf ek seat chahiye, aur UPSC to mujhe aisi 1100 seats de raha hai !", "I need only 1 seat, and UPSC is providing me with 1100 seats !". Hence start identifying yourself among those 1100.

Failure

IPS Safin Hasan in one of his speech said "After multiple failures and struggle, you have only two options left either to turn around or to continue on the same path without loosing hope." He further added "The more the diamond is polished, more the gold is melted more is its subsequent value". Repeated failure is a sign to take a pause and review you mistakes, points where you are lacking. Identify them , make a note and stick it in front wall of your study table and try not to repeat the same. To conquer the failure , self evaluation is must.

Start thinking as an IAS

Your exam starts the day you decide to prepare for UPSC, hence start thinking as an IAS. This accounts to being rational and not getting influenced easily, being used to multiple tasking, emphasizing on self exploration and study. The next time you ask any of your senior/mentor "Sir what books must be read for this .... subject?" just do a quick google search and I am sure you will find the answer. Just like an IAS has to sacrifice his personal life for public, be ready to sacrifice parties, friends, movies , etc for the sake of your preparation. Do you think a Collector will abandon his districts if he fails to achieve the goals of his administration, then why should you give up on your preparation after frequent failures.

Emotional trap.

As the results are declared, you will come across news of few aspirants committing suicides due to failure. Please understand UPSC is not a game of life or death, it must not define your life, you will find plenty of opportunities to do something great. Hence never attach yourself emotionally to either success or failures, after all its just an exam. 

The Blame Game.

You may belong to an underprivileged class, a poor family or someone with weak academic background, but once we decide to prepare for this exam everyone is on the same boat.  To avoid doubting their hardwork and determination, many will blame their background for underperformance else I can give you multiple examples where candidates with most adverse situation have made it in the final list. Not only an academic scholar from IIT cleared the exam but a 12th fail aced in the exam too.

Everyone who is preparing for this exam will definitely put all their hardwork, but not many can develop this mental attitude. If the exam was only about knowledge we would have IAS in every house , but the exam is about personality and hence I say UPSC is an exam of your mindset.