Ace & Beyond

24th February 2025. With less than 24 hours to go for my CS Executive results, things are starting to heat up a bit. I'm not anxious but there is something that's not usual. Unlike previous times, this time there is a bit of tension, a bit of pressure. I find myself in uncharted territory. For the first time in my entire life, I'm expecting a not-so-positive result. Due to what was not an ideal mindset just a week prior to the start of the exam, I now stare at a rare and first failure in my life. I can feel the heat, and with each passing moment, it's growing. From the very beginning of this journey, I knew there would come a moment when I would be beaten due to what has been my forte, i.e., knowledge and the clear presentation of it. For a big part of this journey, I know I haven't been at my best but still managed to find my way, but it seems like the time has come. When at my best, I'm an unstoppable force, but now I feel like an old warhorse who is being ask...

24th February 2025. With less than 24 hours to go for my CS Executive results, things are starting to heat up a bit. I'm not anxious but there is something that's not usual. Unlike previous times, this time there is a bit of tension, a bit of pressure. I find myself in uncharted territory. For the first time in my entire life, I'm expecting a not-so-positive result. Due to what was not an ideal mindset just a week prior to the start of the exam, I now stare at a rare and first failure in my life. I can feel the heat, and with each passing moment, it's growing. From the very beginning of this journey, I knew there would come a moment when I would be beaten due to what has been my forte, i.e., knowledge and the clear presentation of it. For a big part of this journey, I know I haven't been at my best but still managed to find my way, but it seems like the time has come. When at my best, I'm an unstoppable force, but now I feel like an old warhorse who is being ask...

Hey! This post is going to be a bit different from the other ones. Being a topper (I hate to be called that way 😵) or in other sense, having done marginally better than my compatriots, throughout my life, I have realized that it isn't always golden days, and there are things which people should know. This post is exactly about these things. The first and foremost thing is the pressure . People don't really talk about the pressure and expectations to do well that are there on toppers. It is assumed that things will be easy for them as they've always been. The pressure to do well in almost everything they do, every time they do it, is immense . And by immense, I really mean it. Even a slight mistake here or there is looked at as a big thing . The pressure to be perfect, to be the best is never talked about. Imagine going into an exam where irrespective of the level of the examination, you're expected to ace it. Mind-boggling stuff, to be honest. 🤯 The other thing is...