Hello,

After our last post (The no-nonsense guide to motivation), we received 120+ emails from students/ aspirants (and some parents) baring their heart open over the struggles of coming to terms with failure and dejection. We respect your privacy (and won’t bare out names) but we couldn’t help but notice that the common themes around those letters were concerns regarding leaving a job, impending research work, lack of confidence, struggles with uncertainties.

Most of all, everyone wrote about their struggle. Struggle – a word which we inevitably equate with failure.

While most of the gurus and teachers focus on how to things correctly, so that you don’t screw up, we would like to take a moment and explore this phenomena of struggle and how you can best attempt to come out of it (after you have screwed up).

Honeymoon Period = Start of your preparation

This is the point where you start questioning yourself:

• Where did I go wrong?
• Why didn’t my results come out as I had thought they would?
• Am I even good enough to continue?

The Struggle is when you wonder why you started the preparation in the first place

• The Struggle is when your parents ask you why you don’t quit and you don’t know the answer
• The Struggle is when everyone starts doubting your abilities and you start to think that may be right
• The Struggle is when self doubt becomes self hatred
• The Struggle is when people start sympathising with you and no one would come out in open and confront you
• The Struggle is when you want the pain to stop but it won’t
• The Struggle is when you think of taking a timeout for some fresh air but everything just stifles you
• The Struggle is when you are surrounded by people who did not qualify and you are all alone. No company is comfort. The Struggle has no mercy
• You are in the land of broken promises and crushed dreams

“The Struggle is not failure, but it causes failure. Especially if you are weak. Always if you are weak.”

But the struggle is where greatness comes from

“When you are in the Struggle, nothing is easy and nothing feels right. You have dropped into the abyss and you may never get out.” – The Hard Thing About Hard Things