It's not about being good or bad in studying

 It's not about being good or bad in studying. It's about how focused you're in studying. For example, you're reading a thriller. You're so focused and interested in reading that book that you forget everything else. Studying for any competitive exam, including the IAS, demands the same sort of focus and concentration.

If you have studied subjects like history, geography and political science, either in school or college, it definitely helps. Now you may not all be interested in studying some subjects for the IAS. You may consider them dull and insipid. For example, the majority of students in my class were least interested in Biology and would barely pass. Those who were interested would invariably score excellent marks.

I started studying for a tough professional exam six years after graduation while in a full-time job. I was doing self study and did not find the subjects very interesting. I had studied most of the subjects in college but the six year gap after graduation and a full-time job were not conducive to studies. The only option to not studying was to remain in a clerical position all my life. This was not acceptable and I put heart and soul into studies. Since I refused to embrace mediocrity, I did well. Today after retirement, I lead a comfortable life thanks to those four years of hardship.

The only motivating factor in life is not only a comfortable future, but to lead a life where you do not have to scrounge for pennies and you have respect for yourself. If you do not have respect for yourself, you cannot expect respect from others.

Self-motivation is an important ingredient for success. You must have faith in yourself that you are capable of achieving your goals, whatever those might be.

Good luck 🍀

-V Balasubramanian