Dear fellow aspirants (who think they screwed up CAT ’13),

Things may not exactly be going hunky-dory for some of you. I share your agony. I understand that some of you are still worried why your CAT slot was so darn difficult. I understand your disappointment at screwing up that one section in IIFT.

But do not despair. It ain’t no tragedy.

Yes, you may have hurt your chances at the exams so far. But remember

Tournaments End. Dedication Doesn’t.

XAT is just round the corner. And at the risk of sounding Tejpal-esque, now you must do the penance that lacerates you. Now you must get that lion spirit back because atonement cannot be just words ?

Well, the hard reality is exams are unavoidable for most part of life. However, an unhealthy emphasis on exam-results sometimes puts us under the burden of unwarranted parental and peer pressure.

But to this, you must not succumb!

It is important to keep things in perspective. Do not ever let any stress overwhelm you. One bad result is not the end of life.

Michael Faraday, to whom we owe electricity, could never complete his schooling. His formal training in experimental science, and mathematics was almost nil. Michael, being the son of a poor blacksmith had to face all kinds of deprivation and struggle. But love and emotional security provided to him by his impoverished parents plus his own remarkable perseverance fortified him during periods of stress and helped preserve his humility when success and fame came his way.

Understand that to feel frustration and anxiety is only human. Rather than feeling powerless, decide what you want and focus on the things that really matter. Appreciate the turmoil around you and work towards overcoming it.

Whenever life pulls you down, take solace in these words of the iron-willed Rafael Nadal. At the 2012 Australian Open, after his heart wrenching third successive Grand Slam final loss to the then #1 Novak Djokovic, Nadal had said

“It was nice to be there fighting, making your body go the limit. I suffered during the match, but I enjoyed all the troubles that I had. I played a lot with my heart. I tried to find solutions all the time. And that is something nice to be around with and not just while playing tennis.”

Inspiring, isn’t it?

Many ups and downs later, Rafa Nadal is today the #1 tennis player in the world.

To ultimately emerge a victor, it is more important to continue fighting whatever be the odds, as these beautiful lines I read during school, also say:

“Success is failure turned inside out –

The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are –

It might be near when it seems afar;

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –

It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.”