Wk #36: Three key aspects that form the basis of self-help advice

Dear Aspirant,

I read a tweet today about personal development that I liked a lot. I am expanding the idea in the tweet to the context of the UPSC exam.

Hope you find it useful!

Dickie Bush in a recent tweet mentioned three key aspects that form the basis of self-help advice:

• Being consistent

• Starting before you’re ready

• Not worrying about what other people think

Let us look at how these three apply to students preparing for the UPSC exam.

1. Being Consistent

The UPSC journey tests your ability to stay consistent over long periods of time

- Can you solve MCQs daily?

- Can you practice answers daily?

- Can you dedicate 6-8 hrs of quality time to your studies?

In being consistent over time you become the outlier.

2. Starting before you’re ready

A number of aspirants chase perfection and end up never making any progress. Instead, you can:

- Start with a bad answer.

- Start with a bad essay.

- Start with 15 MCQs for a subject.

You can always edit a bad answer, but not a blank page.

3. Not worrying about what other people think

Aspirants may worry about:

- What will my friends think?

- What will my relatives think?

- What will my office colleagues think?

The realisation that people are busy in their own world will free your mind from this worry.

While it may not be very easy to implement these, it is helpful to be aware of them and make efforts to incorporate these aspects in our preparation.

Visual that Inspired Me

As you keep working hard in this journey, do give sufficient importance to your physical and mental health.

Wishing you a productive and peaceful week ahead :)

See you again next Monday :)

Best Regards,

Satya