Overcoming the thoughts of ‘I can’t’ while preparing for the UPSC

No one would ever deny that the UPSC examination is not only the toughest examination but also it gives a life lesson session while you are preparing for it. The competition is huge. Add to that, the unpredictable question manner of the examination is also a headache for the UPSC aspirants.

Overcoming the thoughts of ‘I can’t’ while preparing for the UPSC

No one would ever deny that the UPSC examination is not only the toughest examination but also it gives a life lesson session while you are preparing for it. The competition is huge. Add to that, the unpredictable question manner of the examination is also a headache for the UPSC aspirants. This requires a long period of diligence as well as assiduity to reach the goal. 

So, this period is crucial and demands you to be motivated throughout the time to make it happen. The aspirants need to study almost 10 to 15 hours a day to cope up with the huge syllabus. So, some aspirants do feel demotivated and cannot deal with the mountain-like pressure and the obvious thought comes in its way: “I can’t”.

Especially, if you are not the first-timer, and already have experienced failure in the UPSC examination, it becomes even tougher and the continuous stress makes you say, "I can't".

You might have been thinking,

• I can't finish the whole subject in one month 
• I may not overcome all my lakhs of competitors and get into the list.
• I can't study for 10-15 hours a day.
• I can’t be attentive to study and I easily get into the distractions.
• I cannot deal with the pressure on me from parents etc.

But let me tell you something, this is normal. Be it the fear of failure, or the stress of examination is very natural. It is undoubtedly sometimes very depressing to cope up with the huge syllabus within a shorter period and sometimes failure also gives a setback but how to overcome such thoughts? Here are some suggestions for you. 

• The first step is: accept that you are worried about it and this is normal. These thoughts generally pop up in the head when the examination is approaching and as you have been very sincere about the preparation, you are really worried about the outcome. So, say to yourself that you are serious about your studies and the outcome is going to be very positive. It will make you stay motivated. And you should also know that, since overconfidence can be fatal, some fear does well to you by keeping you grounded.
• Every morning after you wake up and every night, before you go to sleep, stand in front of a mirror and make eye contact with yourself. Then, say it loud and clear, “thank god! I am going to clear the UPSC examination! Yes! Yes! Yes!". This will do wonder to you. This statement will make you think positively about your capabilities.  
• Whenever there is a thought of quitting, Close your eyes and imagine yourself of being at your dream place already. Recall the thoughts that have made you decide to clear the UPSC examination.

You might have heard that there is a saying that, "nothing is impossible". This is eternally true and thousands of examples do justification to the statement. So, always motivate yourself by telling that, "Nothing is impossible”. You can search for online videos of the motivational speakers to keep you on the right track during this crucial time.