Mindset, Motivation and MSD

This week has been particularly difficult for CET aspirants, because clouds of a possible extended delay are looming over the exam yet again. I have received calls, messages from people in panic, distress and every other emotion which they shouldn't be in. In this post, I would be talking about the emotional aspects of the exam:

The Mindset: 

Before doing reasonably well in CET, I have taken 7 MBA entrance exams which included 2 CATs, 2 XATs , 1 IIFT, 1 TISSNET, and 1 CET. I have failed in each of these exams. Note: If you dont perform as good as you wanted to, you can call it a failed attempt, this is the assumption in the statement prior to this one :p. If you ask me, more than the preparation, the reason for my dismal performances in these exams was, the mindset.

Ask yourself, What are these entrance exams judging you around before offering you that seat in the prestigious institute? Is it: 
How well are you at solving a seating arrangement puzzle? Nope. 
How well do you know the time and work formula ? no.

The answer is, How well do you handle stress, How well do you not let adverse conditions overcome your thinking abilities. Aspirants like me, focus only on knowing that formula, getting better at speed, finding simpler ways of solving that difficult problem, but what we forget is the emotional aspect. 

The Mahi way:

Ms Dhoni has been my childhood hero, I have grown up seeing him lift ICC trophies, Singlehandedly steer Team India out of difficult situations and hit that last ball six. However, what I admire the most about him is his mindset.

If you have heard him in interviews or post match presentations, one thing you are sure to hear is his focus on the process rather than the end result. He talks about how he worries only about checking boxes on the checklist rather than thinking about the result.

Ok understood, but what does that mean for you and me?

It means, Stop worrying about whether you will get college X or college Y. Stop paying attention to the story where your senior scored consistently well in his mocks but ultimately could not perform well on the d day. Instead, focus on writing mocks, finding holes, filling them and repeating the entire process over and over again.

The difference: 

After 7 failures, I was extremely dejected, I used to see my friends doing well in their IT jobs, others going abroad. I felt even more sad, after knowing how well others were doing after college. But for my 8th exam, I changed the way I thought. I really did not add that unwanted pressure on myself. The only thing that mattered to me was, doing better on the d day and taking the actual exam as my 36th mock. I just had to make sure that I do not repeat any of my mistakes again in this 36th mock. I tried to stay true to this promise.

Sometimes we treat the D-day as the most important day of our life, but contrary to that belief, months prior to the D-day matter more. Ofcourse, execution on the d-day is of prime importance but one is the cause of two and not the other way round.

The Motivation:

The current situation is bizarre, we do not know the exam date. What can be done now?

Focus on the positives, yes there is a delay, but now you have more time to get better at your shortcomings, you now have more time to get better at that dreaded chapter of arithmetic which you had decided to omit. You now have more time to complete that textbook, which you had decided to only solve partially.

The only thing that can hurt you, is sitting in your skull. Dont let it dictate your emotions.

Thank you! 

Do follow this blog, to get notified when I post. In coming days, I would be talking more about the nitty grittys of the exam.