Real success is not about meeting benchmarks set by someone else but rather striving to lead a wholesome life as per one's own yardstick, advises rediffGURU Major Inderpaul Singh (retd).
- You can post your career-related questions to rediffGURU Major Inderpaul Singh HERE.
Are you struggling to crack the UPSC, CGL or any public entrance exam? How can you deal with failure and rejection in your career?
rediffGURU Major Inderpaul Singh (retd) served in the Indian Army for eight years.
A certified life coach, Major Singh now helps students and individuals handle challenges in their personal and professional lives.
- You can post your career-related questions to rediffGURU Inderpaul Singh HERE.
Anonymous: Hi, I am a BITS Pilani graduate (2017) but I haven't achieved massive success compared to my peers.
I have been preparing for the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) exam for the past three years alongside my job, hoping to crack it in 2025 or 2026.
I feel ashamed to meet my juniors and seniors from college.
Do you think clearing the UPSC exam will change my fortune and improve my reputation among the alumni?
Hello. The real success is being at peace with oneself. This may sound philosophical but it is profound.
Unfortunately, our societal orientation has strongly imbibed the 'outside-in' approach for most aspects of our life while it should be exactly opposite, ie inside-out.
To simplify, real success is not about meeting benchmarks set by someone else but rather striving to lead a wholesome life as per one's own yardstick wherein material/career elements are only one aspect.
It is not to demean/undervalue something but assigning equal/appropriate weightage to all aspects of what makes us alive -- health, family, relationships, sharing/caring, etc.
Hence, there is absolutely no reason for you to feel ashamed merely on the basis of some perceived/incomplete notions.
Yes, we should continue to strive for enhancements in life in all areas but we should do it for personal satisfaction and not for others. Hence, there is no reason to feel stressed.
Rather, our goals, if set right, should energise us and give us a larger purpose in life.
Therefore look at things from a larger prism and not merely to gain some 'random perceived gains' that will again be short-lived.
All the best!!
Anonymous: I completed my graduation in 2018 and started preparing for UPSC. Unfortunately, I couldn't clear it in five attempts.
However, I recently cleared the State PCS (provincial civil service) preliminary examination.
The UPSC Mains exam was supposed to take place on September 28, 2024, but it was suddenly postponed without any reason or new dates being announced.
Now, I'm feeling completely clueless.
I've gone from being self-confident to feeling sorry for myself, as if I've achieved nothing in life.
I even dropped UPSC to focus on this State PCS exam.
At 26, it's really difficult to keep asking my parents for money.
Since the dates haven't been announced, I've already completed the mains syllabus, but now I feel frustrated and have started binge-watching web series. What should I do?
Hello. My simple and straight advice will be that you either pick up a job in your field or go for some vocational/higher course that will improve your employability.
No one is stopping you from pursuing your PCS goal as and when things become clear.
We have many examples of people doubling up and still cracking the exams. But just sitting idle and waiting is not advisable since you have already spent considerable time/energy in that pursuit.
All the best!
Sadah: I'm in the final year of my BSc in biotechnology.
Currently, I'm feeling confused because I initially wanted to become a doctor.
However, after my Class 12, I entered a BSc degree without realising how difficult it would be to balance both.
Now, a part of me wants to give NEET (National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test) a try but another part doesn't want to waste the three years I've spent on my BSc.
Should I start preparing for CGL (combined graduate level) or should I go for NEET?
Hello Sadah. Since you are already in the last leg of your grad degree, it would be prudent to finish it in the first place.
Also the fact that you didn't give NEET a try earlier somewhere gives an impression of your not being too serious/committed about it.
Rather than going by random thoughts, it is vital to clarify your actual interest areas in your mind and then put an action plan in place.
Regardless, I reiterate that you should complete your degree course that is in striking distance now.
All the best!
- You can post your career-related questions to rediffGURU Major Inderpaul Singh HERE.
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