Dear All,
Many students lose out in the battle called CA due to FEAR.
Many give excuses, many narrate stories of woe and many ascribe it to luck. But I tell you like the child who saw the Emperor wearing no clothes and shouting in glee, “The Emperor is naked” that it is fear which makes or breaks a CA student’s success in this exam.
If you carefully analyze the multifarious reasons with a psychological angle, there lies beneath the student, a gossamer of fear.
A CA student (for that matter anyone) must write in bold letters
“NIHIL TIMENDUM EST”
àThis is an ancient Latin quote and it means “Fear Nothing”.
It pains to read news that some CA student died or committed suicide. These are extreme cases of panic/fear reactions.
There are so many things much more valuable and priceless in this world, than a mere pass in CA.
CA is a man-made thing. Look around you and behold the whole magnanimous world we have which God created.
Someone commented that I should not write the words “I” and express as if I’m doing a big favour to students.
I have to use “I” because I’m talking to the beautiful budding souls here not some walls or doling out notifications in the ICAI walls. Lot of these students have within them a deep-seated fear…lot of insecurity. And this needs a strident and confident voice and it may at times sound like trumpeter but nevertheless it is used as a prod. If this Mythreya can succeed in life, so can I!
I have to however, use sometimes words like “I do not have much time” due to my personal constraints. I do not expect any gratitude or the like for anything that I do here. Nor am I doing anything great or sympathizing with anyone.
However, I deem my day greatly satisfying if I have removed the fear in at least one student... Given hope to one soul at least…Touchwood!
And yes, if you have noticed, I used the word “I” FEARLESSLY without seeking umbrage under mock humility.
STUDENTS! ARISE! AND FEAR NOT—NIHIL TIMENDUM EST!—FEAR NOTHING IN LIFE.
A COWARD DIES A THOUSAND DEATHS DAILY
ONLY A BRAVE MAN DIES ONCE BUT LIVES A FULFILLING LIFE!
The demon called “CA Exam” will cower before you. The walls of ICAI will invite you to the portals of membership and salute you; you who are brave on the exam front. Great power lies within you. Realize this. The moment you let go of this fact, trouble starts in your life. You give your freedom to someone else or some other entity.
I can give you all a thousand tips and suggestions and yet if you lack this basic substance called “bravery” within you, then nothing would work.
Doubt is a sibling of this fear.
Many students are Doubting Thomas
and do not recognize the God within themselves.
And for those who do not believe in God, I tell you scientifically that the brain’s glial cells function the best when one is brave. Glial cells are responsible for intelligence, connections, memory and creativity.
· If the fear is for Texts or reference materials --> OBLITERATE that fear by consulting a few friends who have cleared and what they have used. (Do not blindly follow them just because they cleared. Analyze vis-à-vis your situation and intellectual capacity).It is not the book (any standard reference book is fine for this exam) but your confidence level which is important.
· If the fear is regarding the current exam pass trend--> DECIMATE it by working extra hard. Don’t resign to fate and think that the whole world is conspiring against you.
· If the fear is to write both the groups; take it easy and write one Group.
· If the fear is for lack of time for studies; start studying from day 1 or wait till next attempt and study. Heavens are not going to fall!
Tackle each fear logically. For too much logic the anti-dote is emotionality but for too much emotion (fear being basically a biologically dictated emotional response emanating from the amygdale portion of our reptilian brain)---> Logic is the anti-dote.
However, all is not logic. You might draw the best plans and chalk-out the best strategy but then you need to have the inner courage and the chutzpah to implement them. Then there are some emotional ways too involved here.
- Talk with your kith and kin about the stresses and strains of this course. If they are understanding then they will surely help you emotionally.( Substitute “Kith and kin” with friends or your beloved).However, do not over-do here. They can only listen and offer a shoulder to cry but you need to fight this battle alone and you can do it, I’m sure.
- Calm your mind and do self-talk. What you talk to yourself is most important determinant for success in your life than anything else. Don’t feed the cheap talk of fear/negative words/defeatist thought to your mind. Give it the super vitamin called Bravery. NIHIL TIMENDUM EST! ALWAYS BE ON VIGIL HERE.(24 Hours)
- Don’t interact with people with a negative attitude, don’t see or discuss failure cases (yours or someone else’s) too much. All this will feed in the poison called Fear.
Finally there are some biological ways to solve this too:
Ø Take vitamins and minerals. Deficiencies in this cause the brain to work on the reptilian brain of “flight or fight” more than cohesive thinking.
Ø Take small meals through out the day and remain energized.
Ø Have 8 hours of sleep per day. People who say they can get-by this number with fewer hours of sleep are losing out on health (Even sleep debt recompense theory has been disproved recently by scientists and on an average a human needs minimum 8 hours of sleep if not more).With these days of internet usage, lot of sleep depravity cases come about in this modern society. So get the forty winks you need preferably in the night when your human biological clock aches to sleep.
Ø Eat healthy food
Ø Exercise at least 3 times per week to remain energized. Exercise need not mean ripping muscles from a gym workout. It might mean even a small walk in the nearby park.
(Meditation and relaxation/visualizations also help)
Ø Keep health habits regularized.
When you follow what has been said by me above, you will find that your fear vanishes and slowly you gain courage to take up this challenge.
Fear is death, Courage is life.
---Swami Vivekananda
Students! Three cheers to Bravery!! AYE!AYE!
Mythreya
CAclubindia
