If you really want to succeed, form the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do.

A lot of research has been done on success and failure. One can read the life histories of successful people, to understand the secrets of success. These people have certain qualities in common no matter their fields of work.

Success leaves clues. It is no mystery.

Failure is a result of making a few mistakes repeatedly.

Think about the following:

1. Why does one person move forward with one success story after another, while others keep getting ready?
2. Why does one man take risks and goes through life crossing one hurdle after another, while other struggles and gets nowhere?

What makes one aspirant successful? How did the person who secured AIR 1 views success? Does he/she view success as a destination or a journey? Is success internal or external to him/her? Does the quality of journey matter to him/her? Do they think success and happiness go hand in hand? Do you agree?

These are the questions that will lead you to a winning edge. Success is a journey and not a destination. You need to work hard and feel the success within yourself. You need to attach much more importance to your inner progress than to just mere numbers in your test. Slowly, those numbers will mirror the success that you will harbour within. This will pave way for a better quality of your CSE journey. This will lead to success that will be the manifestation of good luck resulting from inspiration, aspiration, desperation and perspiration.

Strive for excellence in your results. This will help you in moving forward even when you make mistakes because there is nothing that can’t be improved. Remember that successful people are not ten times smarter than the people who are unable to realise their dreams. They strive for excellence at all times, and this is the real difference. They do not get discouraged by their defeats, but continue sharpening their axes to triumph over the rest.

Nothing worthwhile in life comes without struggle. You will face disappointment with your result or with your inability to cope up with the pressure. But instead of getting disappointed, take that as a cue and work on coming up with a solution to beat it. Success will not be measured by your position in life. It will always be measured by the obstacles that you overcome to get there.

Sharpen your bounce back ability. Make small changes to achieve your goals. Look out for solutions for every problem that you encounter. Keep moving, even when on the ground. Never quit!

Life is really very simple. What you give out, you get back.

Your Action Plan:

1. List major problems that you have been dealing with on a continuous basis.
2. Then try and write down at least one positive outcome that each of your problems has led to.
3. Once you are done, discuss it on the Confession forum in the form of comments or with your friends and offer your constructive suggestions and encourage others to work on this action plan as well.

This exercise will help you in understanding that what sets everything apart or what makes or breaks one’s fate is nothing but a difference in the approach, in one’s attitude.

As of now, the other problems you are dealing with

• Backlogs
• How to manage ILP with TLP?

Let’s address them one by one

BACKLOGS

We have two cases here

Those who are late joiner in ILP and those who have not been consistent with it despite joining from Day 1:

Think on these lines

What if you were not part of ILP? How would have you managed with preparation if decided to appear in 2018? What benefit will ILP provide at this stage?

Without ILP- You have to cover everything on your own starting from content development to consolidating current affairs. This will take a decent amount of time and effort and constant demotivation will always be there.

ILP has everything that you need to qualify this examination. Why worry about coverage then? Cannot you focus only on consolidating your preparation using its Plan, Quality Value Add Notes, Current Affairs and Tests?

Is it so difficult to focus on what is in front of you as a sure shot guidance? Do you need to realize your dream that why you chose UPSC?

Nothing is going to help except your inner drive to achieve this. No motivation will ever come to your rescue.

Look at the Plan, start following it. It is no one’s fault that you started late neither it is a disadvantage as you see it. It is all about complete faith to follow. The faith was already there when you joined ILP. Why not materialize it now?

HOW TO MANAGE ILP AND TLP?

Regenerate yourself.

First, understand yourself and your position. What is your requirement? Are you prepared to write full-length answers? Or you think, writing without preparation or content development will make you a good writer?

In general, not everyone is a fresher and not everyone is a veteran.

In ILP- we provide mains mock and synopsis as per the blocks in the plan. What is its utility? For an aspirant done with a basic level of preparation and one-time completion of syllabus, it will just be a revision or say content enhancement. He/she can take TLP as writing practice easily.

But for an aspirant still trying hard with syllabus completion, writing on TLP, attempting all the questions in real time will be a challenge.

What is the solution?

Why cannot you focus on content enhancement from TLP also? It can be done in following ways:

• Be thorough with understanding the context behind the questions and learn everything provided through synopsis.
• Start with a target of one question per day- Do not attempt to write all the questions. Just focus on one of the questions and prepare its content. Then write it in real time as you will write in the examination hall. Slowly you will realize all your lacunas and will improve with consistency and practice.
• For change to occur, you need not only put effort but time. And consistent effort (spending time on it) will let you see the unimaginable changes within you.

This is how others who have succeeded in this examination have achieved it. No one is born with all these. It is their crave to learn and improve that has outshined them from others.

Everything required is listed on ILP platform from plan to notes to motivational cum guidance articles. You are least worried about it because you have got it in physical form but not in essence. And this is because of your attitude!

You have to change your ATTITUDE towards this preparation and nothing else. You think too much but seldom worry about action. Because it is input oriented.

When you are done listing down the positive outcome that every problem has resulted in, you will realise that the outcome could have been much better, if you had the right attitude to welcome it. No, it is not your fault. But what is important to understand here is that even if you have acquired a negative attitude, whether by design or by default, you need not stick with it.

Can you change? You bet!

Every single thought that crosses your mind is creating your future. If you think that you are feeling great, you will start feeling great in a matter of minutes. If you think that you are too tired, you will not be able to even pick up a book to revise. These are outcomes directly correlated with our thoughts. It will not be wrong to say that each one of us creates our experiences by our own thoughts and feelings. No other person, no place, and nothing have any power above us, for “we” are the only drivers of our mind and our future.

Adjust your Focus

Seek good always. Train yourself to look for positives, even if a situation goes out of hand. Look for what is right in a person or situation. Kick out the habit of finding fault. This does not mean that you should stop evaluating and blindly follow the positive. Having a positive approach helps you stay aware, and more understanding of every kind of situation.

Be an Optimist

Be so strong that no situation or no person can disturb your peace of mind. You must be thinking that it is easier said than done. What if we tell you that it is definitely easier said but can be easily done as well? How – Talk health, happiness and prosperity for every person that you meet. Help everyone around you find the sunny side of everything. Think only of the best results, work hard to achieve the rank that you wish for and expect only the best, no matter what. Forget the mistakes of the past, learn from them and strive to be the better version of yourself.

Say goodbye to your best friend – Procrastination

A lot of aspirants have ‘procrastination’ as their best friend. Almost each one of them has procrastinated at some time in their preparation and has deeply regretted later. This is one of the many factors that lead to failure – it fatigues you more than the effort it takes to do it.

The CSE journey is not a dress rehearsal, and you must think that you just get one shot at it. The stakes are too high to waste your time. Do what needs to be done at the correct time with the correct attitude. Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and there will come a time when you will be doing what you thought to be impossible.

So, stop suffering from ‘Paralysis by Analysis’, stop giving excuses and get done with your planned tasks in time.

Be Grateful & Develop a Positive Self-Esteem

Count your blessings and not the pebbles in your CSE journey. Take out time and smell the jasmines and the roses along the path. Learn to think about these pebbles as hidden treasures that are there to toughen you up so that you are able to face bigger problems with ease.

Exercise and eat well. This contributes to a better performance. If you want to be a Civil Servant, you will have to be a Giver. A Giver has high self-esteem, a positive attitude, and they serve society selflessly. Stay away from negative influences. Do not let negative situations or people drag you down.

Knowledge is not Power

Knowledge is not power. It is information. It is a potential power, which becomes power only when acted upon. Ever heard it is not how much you eat that matters, what matters is how much you digest. Look out for moral education, as it will be the person who is morally educated who will be a lot better equipped to move up in life in true sense. Hold your ground steadfastly, and choose good over bad and positive over negative always. They are winners – who recognize their limitations, but focus on their strengths.

“If you are going to change your life, you need to start immediately”

On a paper, write down the points in short and keep it on your desk. Read these the first thing before beginning your day and also when you are done for the day. Reading it daily will help you print these steps in your subconscious mind. Your mind will then design responses to the situations accordingly.

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit-

Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a fellow turns about

When he might have won had he stuck it out.

Don’t give up though the pace seems slow –

You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than

It seems to a faint and faltering man;

Often the struggler has given up

When he might have captured the victor’s cup;

And he learned too late when the night came down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out –

The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It might be near when it seems afar;

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –

It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Your friend, philosopher and guide

IASbaba

P.S– Full Plan of TLP is here– DOWNLOAD