Hi Forum,
Civil Services Examination 2023 results were declared yesterday. It is an eventful day. After years of toiling hard in a regimented routine, in the end, it comes down to getting ‘1 result found’ against one’s name in the ‘not-so-holy’ pdf! Imagine a moment so brief, so ephemeral, that you could sit down, and all the years you’ve put in could unravel in front of you in barely a few seconds. The what-might-happen scenarios make us so anxious and worn out that we don’t feel like doing anything except waiting for the ‘not-so-holy’ pdf.
In my tryst with the UPSC CSE (4 years long), I had this scary experience a lot of times. Before each result day, I would look at the screen, switching tabs across telegram groups and discussion forums. Your mind starts to race, and you face trouble focusing. To top it all off, a vast network of relatives and so-called friends is waiting to devour you! You’re in a web of relationships that are both supportive and oppressive, sometimes moving from one to the other almost seamlessly. In this background, you’re fighting an internal war yet never wanting to give up. You don’t know what awaits you.
You might be selected for your desired service!
You might be rejected!
You might be selected, but not for your preferred service.
Barring the first case, people remain sad if they happen to fall in other cases, and their fight continues. The ones who get selected enjoy momentary happiness. Still, soon enough, the nostalgia of success disappears swiftly as the narrative moves into an account of a person’s new goal- to be successful again, to be an IAS!
Mark Twain once said,“ The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why.”The meaning of life keeps changing from person to person because of emotional, material, and spiritual fluctuations throughout our lives. What was once dear to you may not be as dear now. So, it is essential to not link one’s happiness to a momentary spurt of success in the CSE. I am not here to argue against the merits of writing the UPSC Civil Services Examination. Having appeared in the exam four times already, I’d be a hypocrite if I did that. It is essential to be aspirational and seek glory. That has been the very premise on which human civilization has evolved. But, what is also more important and less emphasised is not losing sight of what we’ve already become. To cut it short, I’m here to remind you that you’re lovely!
You cleared the Prelims against so many odds. You cleared the Mains against so many odds. Remember the day when you gave your first thought to this exam. Today, you made it through what you thought you wouldn’t before. So, you’ll make it through this time, too. One breath at a time!
In the hullabaloo of measuring success from measurable outcomes, we become too harsh on ourselves. We tend to forget the work we have put in to reach where we are. At times, it is equally essential to de-link success with measurable outcomes. It is important to cherish our hard work. That’s how you rejuvenate yourself and get ready, for your internal battle is not yet over! Draw inspiration from none other than yourself.Too many people think the grass is greener somewhere else, but it is green where you water it! So, let’s look backwards, but live forwards!
Yours Truly,
AzadHindFauz
