I am writing this article almost after a month and half, not because I did not get time to write something but because during the last two months I have got numerous emails from students who couldn’t pass their exams, the results for which were announced in January 2016.
I have mentioned below few of the statements sent by the students. I am writing this because I was extremely heartfelt to read them and was wondering if I did something wrong by starting my blog. Are students trying to find an answer from me asking if they did a blunder joining CA or whether they are justified in their attempts but the CA Institute is at fault? Their questions were so honest that I almost cried when I read some of these statements:
1. I have been appearing for 5-6 attempts but unable to clear despite being a topper in my school;
2. My parents say that I am good for nothing because I am unable to clear even a single group. Earlier my parents were proud of me;
3. I am unable to clear for last three years and feel like committing suicide;
4. I am already 24-25 years old and still unable to clear CA Finals. What’s the right age to discontinue doing CA;
5. While going through your article…partially itself, tears started rolling down my eyes…
. I am stuck up in CA IPCC and my girlfriends works in a company and I have a fear that she may earn more than me in some time.
These and many such type of questions kept getting flooded my mailbox and I have been quite tensed wondering what to write. What is it that students want me to say? Are they asking me to endorse the view that their decision to continue doing CA despite not clearing the papers is good or are they expecting an answer otherwise that will help them leave CA on the pretext of asking an experienced person and in a way help cover up their inability or incompetency to finish this course.
I have not been able to find any answer to these questions and this position did not allow me to write any article for the last one-one and half months. The questions kept on piling and I wasn’t sure of what to answer. Actually, who am I to tell them to leave CA is they are unable to clear or tell them to continue CA despite not passing after many attempts. Yes, I agree students want some guidance and the only reason why I started my blog was that I wanted to help these students who don’t have a mentor with them and perhaps I could fill up this role for few of them.
Even after writing the above four paras, am still not sure of what to write further. I recently watched a movie ‘Airlift’ starring Akshay Kumar. Akshay in this movie was shown as a rich Kuwaiti who was quite arrogant who did not even want to be called an Indian in Kuwait. He had rich Kuwaiti friends and a lavish lifestyle bereft of any sufferings. Then suddenly some events happened and Kuwaiti’s left him stranded alone with his wife, kid and office colleagues.
I don’t want to bore you with the story because I am sure majority of you would have already watched it. But what I want to bring to you is the fact that Akshay Kumar despite having money with him to run away to India without any difficulty did not do that. He realized that each and every person stranded in his office because of war deserved to be back home and it was his responsibility to assure that.
What also transpired was the fact that he risked his own life and the life of his family but did not budge on his thought to safely make every Indian land safely back to India. Whatever rough edges he had to pass, he did but finally managed to WIN. And that was only because he knew it was right and things that are right are never out of fashion.
When I was watching this movie, I was thinking in our life also we should take up leadership roles, the way Akshay took it. We won’t always get a chance to display leadership skills towards others but we can surely display leadership skills to ourselves. What does this mean? It means there has to be someone who needs to show people the right path. Just as students have written to me to show them the right path, you need someone to guide you so that you don’t end up messing around with your life.
When I say leadership to self, it also means you need to tell yourself of the right things so that you don’t end up messing with your life. Every human being has got the basic sense of what’s right and what’s not and therefore, only the right path needs to be treaded by you for yourself.
When the actual person in Kuwait (whose role was played by Akshay Kumar) despite being a rich guy who could have easily fled away did not and stayed to save the lives of 1.7 Lacs Indians, then:
- Why can’t you decide and make up your mind to complete CA;
- Why can’t you take a call in life that you would not waste time and focus only on studies;
- Why can’t you manage your time well when others have been able to do it;
- Why can’t you force yourself to focus, study hard and pass the exams;
- Why can’t you make your parents and friends proud?
I know these things are not easy, but remember things that are right are always difficult to pursue not because right things are difficult, because right things always require YOU to be right. Unless you set yourself right, nothing right will happen to you and you would always keep groping in dark.
Stand up and say to yourself that you do not want to lead a life of a loser. Stand up and announce to the world that you would work hard only to come back in life as a fighter and as a champion. Stand up and say to yourself that now the time has come to make things work for yourself and there is no way anyone can stop you from realizing your dreams and aspirations. Stand up and shout to the world about your dream, whether it is becoming a CA or a lawyer or anything and tell everyone that nothing in this world can stop you from achieving it.
Don’t waste time, don’t watch too much TV, don’t waste time gossiping around with friends and relatives. Always keep a strict focus on yourself and keep reminding yourself of your goal and dreams. At no point of your life you should allow your dream and goal to drift away from yourself because the moment you stop thinking about your dream, is the very moment you would stop progressing for it.
Stop crying and remember, those tears in your eyes came only because you did not work hard, you did not fight enough for your dreams, you did not manage your time well, you wasted your time, you let yourself sit idle and you did not have the courage to stop your friends and relatives let you waste your time. This is your life and you should take complete charge of it and dare you allow anyone to take it from you. Stop doing all this and don’t waste your time and your parents time and money.
From today, start behaving as if you have already cleared your exams and are looking for a fantastic job with an excellent organization. Your mind should be filled up with positive thoughts and your every statement from your mouth should be about your dream and how you are going to achieve it.
In the end I would like to end with a quote:
“Things take longer to happen than you think they will, and they happen faster than you think they could”
All the very best, do well and shine like a diamond…
Authored by Nimish Goel (www.nimishgoel.com), a qualified chartered accountant who’s passion is to coach young chartered accountants and aspiring students achieve the best in their life. Nimish used to work with EY and PwC in India and has also worked with KPMG in Europe. He now runs his own consulting company and runs a blog www.nimishgoel.com. He can be reached for any queries and issues on his blog.
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