“If I don’t clear this exam, my life will be over..”
I’ve heard countless aspirants say this while preparing for competitive exams.
While I understand how ‘make or break’ the preparation journey can feel, here’s what I’ve learned from my experience of preparing for CAT (the MBA entrance exam):
📌 You’ll never be sure
Most of our time goes into imagining the ‘what if’ scenarios. “What if I blank out, what if I score low, what if I don’t get shortlisted by the IIMs.”
No matter how well you’re prepared, you’ll never be sure. Sometimes, accepting this can help you focus on what you can do.
📌 Your fear is natural
When something is important to us, the stakes increase naturally. Higher stakes lead to an intensified amount of fear. The fear of failure paralyzes us and often hinders our preparation.
While it is natural to feel scared of the outcome, don’t let it prevent you from taking action.
📌 You are worthy as is
I wish more people understood that your marks, degrees, or tags don’t determine your worth. Trust me when I say this - I know several IIM grads (including myself) who suffer from self-doubt or consider themselves unworthy despite having the tags you’re running after.
It’s one thing to feel ambitious and another to let that determine your worth.
To summarize, yes, you may feel scared especially if you’re serious about any exam or goal. But, try separating actions from fear. Ask yourself - “what can I do?” than “what will happen?”
There’s this quote by Maya Angelou that says:
“Fear and hope can’t occupy the same space at the same time. Invite one to stay!” 🌸
Shweta Arora
“If I don’t clear this exam, my life will be over..”
I’ve heard countless aspirants say this while preparing for competitive exams.
While I understand how ‘make or break’ the preparation journey can feel, here’s what I’ve learned from my experience of preparing for CAT (the MBA entrance exam):
📌 You’ll never be sure
Most of our time goes into imagining the ‘what if’ scenarios. “What if I blank out, what if I score low, what if I don’t get shortlisted by the IIMs.”
No matter how well you’re prepared, you’ll never be sure. Sometimes, accepting this can help you focus on what you can do.
📌 Your fear is natural
When something is important to us, the stakes increase naturally. Higher stakes lead to an intensified amount of fear. The fear of failure paralyzes us and often hinders our preparation.
While it is natural to feel scared of the outcome, don’t let it prevent you from taking action.
📌 You are worthy as is
I wish more people understood that your marks, degrees, or tags don’t determine your worth. Trust me when I say this - I know several IIM grads (including myself) who suffer from self-doubt or consider themselves unworthy despite having the tags you’re running after.
It’s one thing to feel ambitious and another to let that determine your worth.
To summarize, yes, you may feel scared especially if you’re serious about any exam or goal. But, try separating actions from fear. Ask yourself - “what can I do?” than “what will happen?”
There’s this quote by Maya Angelou that says:
“Fear and hope can’t occupy the same space at the same time. Invite one to stay!” 🌸
6 months ago | [YT] | 2,330