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In 2019, I took my first shot at the UPSC Prelims.
There was a common belief swirling around me, a chorus of voices insisting that passing the prelims on the first try was a pipe dream, especially when you come from a non-IIT, non-IIM.
Influenced by these sentiments, I embarked on my studies with a cloud of negative expectations looming overhead, scarcely daring to hope for success.
Even during the exam, I felt restrained, unable to give my all. Post-exam, as I reviewed my answers, my skepticism weighed heavily on me, leading me to mark every contentious question as incorrect. My hopes for advancing were virtually nonexistent.
Yet, when the results were announced, I discovered I had indeed cleared the prelims.
Ironically, by then, it was too late to adequately prepare for the Mains. Missing the cutoff by a mere 15 marks, I realized a poignant truth: a modicum of self-confidence could have drastically altered my journey, possibly even securing my success on the first attempt.
Let this be a reminder to us all:
No significant achievement has ever been reached without a foundational belief in oneself.
Believing in yourself is not a guarantee against failure, but it's a critical component of the resilience needed to pursue any goal.
Without self-belief, failure isn't just a possibility; it becomes a certainty!
