Remember the Mountain Dew tagline - "Darr ke aage jeet hai"? You do? Ok... Do you remember the famous "Kya Hai Mrityu" dialogue from the film Baahubali? You do? Why do CA students forget all this when it comes to studying for CA? Anxiety? Stress? Fear? Yes, fear. But fear of what? Let's analyze this question in this post...
Yeah yeah... Watch the video first. But remember to come back here again. There's some serious stuff coming up...
Now that you have seen the video clip, delve a bit deeper into your conscience. Find out the biggest fear which bothers you in the process of your preparation for CA exams. Is it difficult? Many of us are too afraid to come face to face with our own reflection in the mirror. Unfortunately, this tendency only aggravates the problem. When you would not know your shortcomings and vulnerabilities yourself, how will you overcome and rectify them? Who knows you better than you yourself? No one.
So if you are unable to detect the biggest fear which affects you daily, let me give that fear a name. The biggest fear of any CA student is a word called "FAILURE". Yes, failing in exams is the biggest fear. But why?
STORY TIME !!
This is the story of one of my closest friends, let's call him M for the sake of simplicity. He was an average student throughout school and college, neither too nerdy, nor a backbencher. But an avid gamer. You could say he was not the Sharmaji ka Ladka in studies, but was certainly the Super Mario of gaming.
Having lost his father at a young age, M knew that it was important for him to complete his education as early as possible and start earning. He joined the CA course along with college. He cleared the entrance exam - Foundation (earlier CPT) in one shot, scoring a neat 150+ out of 200. Naturally, he was all pumped up to clear Intermediate (earlier IPCC) in one shot.
But one thing he did not realize back then was how tough things can be when you are a team like Kenya and are asked to beat an opponent like Australia in a limited overs cricket match. Still, he completed his coaching classes for IPCC along with regular college. And now started the real battle. It was September already, with his attempt in the ensuing November. Thankfully the college was on a break of one month due to festivals. He read all the study materials, notes and coaching materials well. He even solved a couple of past papers during the break. But somehow, he just could not build that confidence to take on an opposition as strong as Australia.
2nd Nov... It was the first paper of IPCC - Accounting. The paper was a bouncer for him. Extremely lengthy and slightly twisted. And he fumbled on seeing the first question itself. His hands started trembling. His palms started to sweat even in the month of November. Somehow he mustered up the courage to attempt the first question, which looked a bit simple. But he got stuck after solving it halfway. He moved on to the next question. Still could not solve it entirely. Question after question, he kept on getting stuck midway into the solution. M came out of the exam hall with a dejected face, having attempted only 60 marks of the paper. Clearing it in these circumstances looked difficult for him. And he succumbed to the pressure.
3rd Nov... Ideally he should have been studying for the next paper - Law. But he just could not concentrate. Every time he would want to focus, the dreadful Accounting paper would appear and swirl before his eyes.
He decided to drop the term. The entire effort of the last 9 months went up in smoke.
17th Jan... Results came out. M was not in any mood to check the results. But I still coaxed him to do so. I had known him well till then and simply could not accept he had dropped an entire term after working so hard for it. And voila! He managed to score 41 out of 100 in the Accounting paper!
Verdict: He had passed in the paper he had no hope of clearing, but had dropped the entire term thinking he would not be able to cross the line.
THE LESSON
Now pause here and analyze the reasons why M dropped the term just after the first paper. Why did not he prepare for the next exam and at least appear for it? The answer is FEAR. Yes, the fear of FAILURE. It hits hard to some students like it did to M. And it hits unknowingly.
I have always maintained that CA is a great teacher in itself. It teaches you a big lesson of acceptance and fighting against odds. Similarly, it also teaches you to see your reflection in the mirror and know yourself inside out - your strengths, weaknesses, shortcomings and pitfalls. A student needs to know himself closely first. Only then will he be able to better himself.
The fear of failure can strike you at any point of time during your preparation. It is at its devastating self when it strikes less than a month before the exams, or worse, a couple of days before the first exam. Most common reasons for this are:
Selective study
Lack of adequate preparation
Faulty technique of preparation
No or lack of proper revision
Fear of not remembering
Lack of concentration
Procrastination
Lack of self-control and discipline
I can keep on adding many more reasons here. But that is not the point. The main point is how to overcome this fear.
At CA Exam Strategies, I have been working on this from Day 1. My main attempt has been to remove this fear of failure from the minds of the students and to boost up those who have already surrendered in this war to become a CA.
Here comes the relevance of the video I have used in this post. You should not accept defeat easily, without a fight. Nothing is more shameful for a brave warrior (you) to run away from the battlefield (CA exams) fearing death (failure). Bravery is in taking the situation head-on and fighting the enemy with full confidence and commitment.
I can keep on writing on this topic... But I feel that the post has already become a bit too long. Hope you have understood the message. Let us resolve to completely eliminate this fear of failure from our lives and face the CA exams with full confidence.
More power to your preparations...
Thanks for reading :)
Disclaimer: CA Exam Strategies and I do not claim any right over any of the graphics, images, songs or any intellectual property used in this video. All rights reserved to the respective copyright owners. This video has only been used for informational and educational purposes.
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