Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.
12 September 2009
Come November and December, a lot of students start their CAT preparation for the next year. You join coaching classes, get actively involved in online forums, buy CAT preparation material, download free stuff, set targets, make groups,. You are all energized, all passionate to make it or break it, and you are certain that no matter what you are all determined to crack the CAT. A lot of you are able to keep up with your will but a lot of you give up in between the preparation. Every year during this time of the year, I start receiving mails from the students saying that they don’t feel motivated enough to carry on. Some people may not give up physically but psychologically they would have comforted themselves with the thought that IIMs are far fetched. To give you an example, I was at Tathagat the other day and a student came up to TG and said, “Sir main IIM Shillong tick karna bhool gaya apne CAT form mein. ” Even before TG could suggest a solution, he said,” koi baat nahin sir, vaise bhi aur business schools hain. IIM mein nahin gaya to kya hua.“ It didn’t surprise me much because that’s one attitude. If you want to get into the habit of making compromises at the age of 22, then you will be doing that all your life. In a recent Wharton admission session, an alum was telling his reapplication story. He told that by the time he was applying again to Wharton, he had figured out what he wanted to do in life and that he was going to do it with or without Wharton. Finally, he got selected that year. It’s just your attitude that will make difference in your life.
I remember last year when my mom used to come up with marriage proposals from different guys, all I used to think of was my future. My marriage to some other guy would have been the first step to the compromise and I would have been left compromising for every little thing all my life. First compromise-guy, second- unsurety of the kind of family I wanted to be a part of, third- compromise on the kind of lifestyle I wanted to lead, fourth- career, fifth- kids….I can actually go on and on. But today I know that one decision would have left me compromising all my life. My dad kept telling me till the end that they were not responsible for my decision. If anything goes wrong, I would have to take all the responsibility. I stubbornly kept saying yes but I knew that I didn’t want to be with anyone else but with TG. And by the way, marriage is such a big gamble that you never know what’s going to happen in your life. But yes, you can always do your best to play the safest bet.
Isn’t the basic of life same for everyone? People might have different challenges at different times of their lives. But the ones with the right attitude move ahead proudly leaving the mediocres behind. At this point of your preparation, you don’t have to give up for nothing. Mock scores, sectional test score, peer pressure, different pattern, online jazz- nothing. If you are the one whose passion faded away during this tough CAT journey, re enlighten your passion. Visualize the kind of life you would have once you get there, imagine the two years that you would spend at the campus, wonder what it would be like to be taught by the best, to clash against the titans .Talk to people who are studying at your dream business schools, and ask them what makes their schools so special. Don’t settle down for some XYZ business school even before you have given your best shot. Work hard with one aim in mind. Let your passion slowly burn inside you while you keep working hard every day to move closer to your dreams. You have two months in your hand- work and play. Go for it! 
“Miles to go before you sleep! ”
Image source
Come November and December, a lot of students start their CAT preparation for the next year. You join coaching classes, get actively involved in online forums, buy CAT preparation material, download free stuff, set targets, make groups,. You are all energized, all passionate to make it or break it, and you are certain that no matter what you are all determined to crack the CAT. A lot of you are able to keep up with your will but a lot of you give up in between the preparation. Every year during this time of the year, I start receiving mails from the students saying that they don’t feel motivated enough to carry on. Some people may not give up physically but psychologically they would have comforted themselves with the thought that IIMs are far fetched. To give you an example, I was at Tathagat the other day and a student came up to TG and said, “Sir main IIM Shillong tick karna bhool gaya apne CAT form mein. ” Even before TG could suggest a solution, he said,” koi baat nahin sir, vaise bhi aur business schools hain. IIM mein nahin gaya to kya hua.“ It didn’t surprise me much because that’s one attitude. If you want to get into the habit of making compromises at the age of 22, then you will be doing that all your life. In a recent Wharton admission session, an alum was telling his reapplication story. He told that by the time he was applying again to Wharton, he had figured out what he wanted to do in life and that he was going to do it with or without Wharton. Finally, he got selected that year. It’s just your attitude that will make difference in your life.
I remember last year when my mom used to come up with marriage proposals from different guys, all I used to think of was my future. My marriage to some other guy would have been the first step to the compromise and I would have been left compromising for every little thing all my life. First compromise-guy, second- unsurety of the kind of family I wanted to be a part of, third- compromise on the kind of lifestyle I wanted to lead, fourth- career, fifth- kids….I can actually go on and on. But today I know that one decision would have left me compromising all my life. My dad kept telling me till the end that they were not responsible for my decision. If anything goes wrong, I would have to take all the responsibility. I stubbornly kept saying yes but I knew that I didn’t want to be with anyone else but with TG. And by the way, marriage is such a big gamble that you never know what’s going to happen in your life. But yes, you can always do your best to play the safest bet.
Isn’t the basic of life same for everyone? People might have different challenges at different times of their lives. But the ones with the right attitude move ahead proudly leaving the mediocres behind. At this point of your preparation, you don’t have to give up for nothing. Mock scores, sectional test score, peer pressure, different pattern, online jazz- nothing. If you are the one whose passion faded away during this tough CAT journey, re enlighten your passion. Visualize the kind of life you would have once you get there, imagine the two years that you would spend at the campus, wonder what it would be like to be taught by the best, to clash against the titans .Talk to people who are studying at your dream business schools, and ask them what makes their schools so special. Don’t settle down for some XYZ business school even before you have given your best shot. Work hard with one aim in mind. Let your passion slowly burn inside you while you keep working hard every day to move closer to your dreams. You have two months in your hand- work and play. Go for it!
“Miles to go before you sleep! ”
Image source
Any compromise is the first of a series of compromises to come. Well said ! Glad you didn’t get in the cycle
very nice article mam, day before yesterday i rescheduled my plan to CAT journey and made a firm determination that i am going to work hard and harder to get into iims but unfortunately that fire of YES which was burning in me day before yesterday is lost where, i dont know. please mam show me some way that how to stay motivated? stay focussed towards the goal? keep your mind at the center of the preparation? is enough time left to crack the CAT? i know mam its difficult to judge whether enough time is left or not because it depends on the level of my preparation…my preparations are not pretty well until now but i am working on it for four months not constantly but irregularly…so please mam if you could help me!!!
Really appreciated your article mam.
@Huzaifa : Although I have not tied the bell till now but I may help you a little in answering your questions. Mam, please correct me if I am wrong at any point of time. Staying motivated is nothing but keeping the negative feelings away. Think of options while deciding something but dont think about other options after deciding on one.I am sure that you have taken the decision of attempting CAT after putting a lot of your mind. Now once you have decided, just don’t think about all other options because the person who can take best decision for you, has taken this decision (say option 1) . You may find some other options lucrative or deceiptive while in the process of achieving option 1. Here you have to believe in your decision and keep yourself involved in preparations. Again don’t think too much, just start. Once you get busy, you won’t have time to think the questions and you will remain focused.
If you are worrying about time left, then here is something for you. An example of my friend who cleared all 3 levels of CFA in just 1 month preparation for each level. And believe me, there is not much to prepare for CAT, only the practice is needed. For that 2 months are enough. What are you waiting for ? Be passionate and shoot for the moon.
cudnt have agreed more…..the decision to stay mediocre or to graduate to a higher level rests with us……its at the time of decicison making that our future gets shaped….once a decision’s been made there’s no looking back…..think only of the success associatoed with the journey and not the failure….”If u think u r beaten u r..If u dare not u dont….If u like to win but think u cant..Its almost a certain u wont”
well….what u’ve said….can’t agree more with that at this point of time…it’s really very important to give 100% and work devotedly…but somewhere in my journey…i’ve learnt that detachment from your work is as important as is attachment to it..believe me,’coz that’s a lesson i learnt a very hard way(maybe..will share my story someday)…i’d just like to say that aiming for the best and putting in all the efforts for realizing the target is very essential, but it’s also essential to keep in mind that a world exists outside this ‘my dream’ world, and i’ll always find a place enough for me in it.
i am a strong believer in the existence of the almighty. and i believe that the only thing we can do is to try our best…the rest, he decides, and he decides the best for us, which may sometimes be something we abhor, and consequently, have to compromise with that. some things are just outta our control.
well, would like to see counter-views..
thats of course an invitation-cum-thanks to ppl to didn’t just scroll down seeing such a long reply..
“If you want to get into the habit of making compromises at the age of 22, then you will be doing that all your life.”
Awesomely said! Couldn’t have been better put! I live by the same funda!
@pulkit. i totally agree with your view that once you get involved in your preparations the you get busy in your work and don think baout other options…i have experienced it…you cleared my confusion..tons of thanks to you..i’ll give my best..rest is in the hands of ALMIGHTY GOD…i hava prepared my plan and schedule n i m goin to work on that..
characteristically precise…the soul who defines the inspiration with par excellence!
One word from my side: Attitude makes me a billionaire!
Hi Dagny, I loved your post. I posted my first blog, on the same lines of CAT, but it somehow doesnt show up on the TG town website. Please help.
PS: I love your name, the character of Dagny Taggart makes me want to be like her and my favourite character from the book was Fransisco D’Anconia
Great reading….
a power booster….certainly….
FAILURE IS JUST A DELAY NOT A DEFEAT…..
SO folks…..gear up…