Hi all!
It’s been very long, a few years, since I have posted anything here. Last I wrote anything was perhaps during the Covid times. Meanwhile, I have done my Law degree (after English Literature as my bachelors) and here I write again.

I finished my Law around 2 and a half years ago (in 2022). I’m professionally an advocate (though I still love the word lawyer over advocate). Before any of you feel awed by my profession (please don’t mind the self-obsession, the feeling is still new to me so it’s not you rather ‘I’ who is a bit awed), wait, because I’m not actively working as a lawyer right now. I would love to, but I have put it on hold for now while I am preparing for competitive exam. I cannot manage both at the same time. 🙂

I am a 27 year old, preparing for civil services exam and there are a few things I would love to share about this journey. I hope this post finds anyone going through a similar journey (in any field/exam, not necessarily the same) or anyone interested in knowing about this world. (Yes it’s whole different world and I mean it with my heart and mind.)

So let me say first things first, no matter how you begin your preparation, be it with an enthusiastic dream or in a state of confusion or in anxiety, what matters the most is how you are moving forward in the whole process of it. It’s not about the beginnings or endings, yes, it is indeed about the middle portion of ‘walking through this journey’ (and running if you’re thinking about the exams per se ). I will keep this one short because the whole journey is really a phase of life and I could never write it in just one post. But in this precision, I hope you find some resonance and some enthusiasm to keep moving along.

I did not take any 1.5 L to 2L (Rs) foundational coaching, though I have been supplementing my self studies with module revision courses (this year) which give very quick concept classes and include revision tests (for Prelims). I decided this in the very beginning that it is my “self study” habits that I need to improve upon and the standard books are something I can read on my own. So that’s about my strategy , you must have your own.

(Meanwhile also remember, I’m still preparing, I haven’t cleared the exam yet. I will be giving attempt this year. So by all means please ignore my strategy because ‘I do not intend to suggest anything here’. I am only stating my journey.) Without much further ado, let’s dive into emotional-philosophical aspect of things.

The journey is tough, there’s no doubt about that, and we all know that by now. It’s a widely accepted standard, that you need to put in roughly 8-9 hours of study a day. (I, too, still find it exceptionally hard to adhere to this standard consistently.) You try to make even 6-7 hours in a day for self-studies (more valid for students not taking any coaching), and you’ll realize the amount of time that goes by in the day unrecognized– when you fail to even achieve those 6 hours in a day. So, that, my friend, is indeed a difficult thing to do consistently, so keep appreciating yourself for all the effort you make.

That brings me right to the one thing I want to talk here today- “importance of appreciating your efforts.”

As we move along in this journey, we meet ourselves in the deepest corners of our hearts and minds. We see our flaws, our mistakes way clearer than we ever have. We see our those tiny little bad habits that have been ruining our time and minds for years. Then, we begin to curse ourselves and begin to be harsh on ourselves. When you have reached this point inside your mind, the tone is already set for your mind to tap into the next stage. Next thing your mind is going to do is “flow” into this state of cursing and that would be the beginning of your negative self-talk from there on.

Tell me that this hasn’t happened with you ever. It still happens to me but I also keep working myself out of it every time this happens. One thing I have realised by now (and I’m neither the first one to say this nor would be the last) is that the “mind is like a river”. It simply flows. Just like river flows wherever it finds the way on the ground, so does our mind. It flows where it finds space to flow into.

So it’s important to give the right kind of space to our minds, a space full of mindful things. A space full of nourishment and knowledge for our minds, and a space away from distractions. It’s important to not let our minds drift away, and to achieve that it’s a nice trick to manage our environments-both physical and mental- accordingly.

For ex- deciding upon the chapters and subjects to be read, a night before. Or when your mind is confused or distracted, just think “what will make you study better”, just think of the next one step and do that. That way you give your mind the right space to flow into. I know it’s far easier said that done but we’ve all got to do this.

These are all mental distractions that we’re dealing with (which are different for different people). It is only and only our duty and effort to keep such mental distractions away from our minds. I know this one is tricky. But I can also tell you that it is possible to do that because in all this time walking in this journey I have finally been able to achieve that on some level. There’s only one advice to give for this and that is “practice”.

You practice driving your mind into the work zone. You practice blocking your mind when it is wandering in distractions. In that process of directing it towards your study work, ‘or’ blocking your mind when its getting distracted (by the way, these are 2 different tricks/processes if you haven’t noticed!), you shall find the way to focusing your mind on the task right in front of you- that is studying (which is interesting, and it is so because it is your life’s work. I say this because indeed I’m trying to hint that you have to “actively” take interest in doing things, in studying better. It does not come automatically on all the days. You have to do this actively.)

So this is a glimpse into the kind of effort we put into studies which I’m sure you’re putting in too if you are still reading my writing here. Let me also say that if you’ve come this far in reading, you already have great reading skill and attention span (as compared to the general public getting distracted by online world). After putting all this effort it is neither wise nor justified to let your mind drift in that negative thinking which followed your self- assessment of flaws and mistakes (if you’ve forgotten about it already, scroll 5 paras above , right below the italicised line -“importance of appreciating your efforts”). I will definitely not tell you how harsh you should be with yourself or not (since I’m a bit harsh with myself at times too) but I will say that surely you have to balance it out.

Self-assessment is great but it should be followed by right “action” next. It should be followed by a fresher perspective, feeling more energised to study, accepting your flaws and ready to make improvements (and not merely negatively self-talking). That my friend is a very active process. It takes courage, ‘energy’ and a right mindset (and hence the value of building the right mindset approach).

Which is why you should keep nourishing your mind with a positive outlook; you should appreciate all the efforts that you are making (despite all the flaws and bad outcomes till now). Because all the mistakes are only there to be improved upon. Which is why it is not a mere journey to clear some competitive exam; it’s a journey to find your own full potential and then maintain it, and work with it.

It’s a journey to find that ‘way of your life’ where you can work at your best potential self, and feel the beauty of your inner peace and capabilities. That is my end goal in this journey. That is the only accomplishment I want to achieve the most. Because I know when that happens, I will already be fulfilled in my life and do any job in a much better way.