[SFG Motivation] Week 3 of SFG Level 2 + The SFG Story for everyone :)

Dear Friends,

As we come to the end of Week 3 of SFG Level 2, we want to share with you something.

First, we are appalled at the level of commitment that some of our friends have shown in the past few weeks, braving all odds to write tests with us for SFG.

We strongly believe that in the past 3 weeks, you should have developed better self control, better discipline, better time management skills.

It usually takes 21 days to build a good habit, and we are nearing that timeline.

For some of us, the single biggest achievement may just be to be able to see the rising sun ( wink )

We have come a long way with SFG, when we first started it, when we felt that flexible programs ruin test discipline, and we need something that binds to you to a study plan.

Today, we are sharing with you  pictures of the first Delhi classroom of SFG where we began the SFG journey.

Step 1 – Find a place where we can seat people without costing us a bomb

We find an empty building with no takers. That building now houses a lot of competitors, but as far as ranks are concerned, so far we are the ones winning ( wink ). Also, it does cost a bomb now.

 Step 2 – Tell your team, you are not mad, and celebrate bad times!

In fact, have a picnic in the spot. South Indian Style. Just so that team thinks something BIG is happening here, have a picnic at the spot the day before. Very crucial for team spirit. And not forget to click pictures, which , for us, are now very iconic. So the blurry pics from colleague’s phones.

Do some team building exercise. Get everyone to do some activity that binds mankind – like cooking 🙂

Step 3 – Arrange Chairs and spray water on the floor, get some halogen lights, and get started.

By evening, people start leaving. The next thing you do is clean the mess, and set up a classroom.

Make sure everything is in place. Stay awake all night so that YOU are NOT the ONE sleeping at 6AM.

I am there in the front bench, discussing the paper with a colleague, who is probably India’s No.1 Current Affairs Faculty for Civil Services now. Later, we tiled the floors, which cost us as much as buying a house! We had no idea back then that for huge commercial premises, the cost of interiors are to be borne by tenants.

Step 4 – Get people to commit to wake up at 6AM in December Winter of Delhi and walk in by 7AM

There comes a point of time in our lives, when we only have to keep old promises, and not make new ones. SFG was one of those promises. Our first Batch of SFG students made no new promises, but kept old ones. And they came day in and day out. These young men and women would clear the Civil Services Exam in coming years, and would help us get more than 300+ selections in the final list every year.

( In case you are interested in human stories – that guy in front row in black sweat shirt also got IAS, Assam Cadre when we last spoke. The guy next to him in cap with palm on his cheeks would later crack IAS with Rank 32 – Forum Username – Massive Success and get IAS. His brother would join next year and clear IPS, also writing tests at 7AM.  And of course the girl in the yellow / orange T shirt, behind that guy would be our first selection from our very first years foundation program. )

Step 5 – Get a few Thank You’s

The fifth step is to write a mail at 6AM, and shoot it by 7AM. And to make sure people writing SFG read it the first thing after their test. After all the hard work, some motivation is what all of us need.

In return, people kindly and humbly write back. And you feel you are going in the right direction. One of the students replying to my 7AM email would give us Rank 10 in the year to follow.

Step 6 – Create a few hundred Success Stories!

SFG helped a few thousand people secure a final rank. When Amritpal Kaur and Amritpal Singh met me years ago, after getting IPS and IPS –  ( and later got married ), I asked them what worked for them – they unequivocally said it was SFG that ensured they write their first Mains. The JNU students had huge pains in turning up at 7AM at the center, but they still did turn up every single day.

And of course Minal. Rank 35.

Please do not miss her talk. She was not the only one who got through the exam with SFG. There are and were hundreds of others who made to the final list, simply because they got an opportunity to write their first Mains. Not everyone’s story is documented, but this girl’s story in yellow/ orange T shirt is! Hear her out.

Remember, it was not easy for any of them, just as it is not easy for many of you.

But if you have lofty dreams, you must either have or develop the capability to fight for your dreams.

We all have to.

There is no choice there.

Until next time,

❤️

Neyawn