Every year brings around some amazing International sporting events. The last Football & Cricket World Cups. The Tokyo Olympics a couple of years ago. And the CWG games last year. All these events serve as another reminder of some of the most important lessons of life. Some of these lessons are as important for your preparation for CAT.
- Having talent is one thing, being able to make best use of it is quite another. In many sports, the most talented teams failed to win whereas the more determined ones pushed their way to the top. The same reflected equally in the individual events too, where many medal hopefuls fell by the wayside even as lesser known ones fought their way to a podium finish.
- You can crib about the limited resources you have or you can make that paucity your strength. A country of just about 5 million, New Zealand keeps surprising everyone in so many sports! The disproportionate number of Indian medal winners from a small state like Haryana is mind-boggling. Similarly, so many other small countries, even ones affected by war and political turmoil, see several champions emerge at international events. It is the strength of your resolve, the fire in your belly, the acuteness of your hunger that counts for far more than your size or the resources you have!
- It’s not over till it’s actually over, hang on, believe, keep going. That’s the one huge takeaway from the close finishes such as the one in the most amazing event in these games – the 3000m steeplechase and Avinash Sable’s unforgettable run in that. No wonder he has made the Asiad Gold his after that confidence boost last year.
- Each game begins from 0-0 – the scores of the last game, last round, last world cup, the last Olympics don’t count. You are here, it is now! It’s a fresh start, every single time. PV Sindhu’s previous medals didn’t ensure one this time.
- Anything’s possible as long as you give yourself a chance, believe, and act. And yes, those who believe are generally luckier too – or so it seems. The biggest moments are probably won (or lost) in the mind before it reflects on the field. In 2019 world cup cricket finals, New Zealand had more than a couple of chances when they could have closed the match much earlier. Once they didn’t go their way, somehow, they stopped believing it was their day. But England just believed and the almighty, cricket laws, & questionable umpiring all colluded to make the impossible happen. It was so freakingly similar to the “Hand of God” Maradona moment of the 1986 Football World Cup finals. It happens all the time all around us – the universe conspires for those who believe truly in something.
- And then, there’s always another day – you play your best, and well, you move on! That’s how sports, and life, work.
Most of these lessons are crucial determinants of success in sports, in life, and even at the CAT! So, even as you make use of your access to the best CAT preparation experience, do not lose sight of the simple lessons from the world’s biggest sports champions and sporting events.
About the author: Deekshant has sleep-walked through several 100 and 99.9 %iles in practically every section of the CAT. That he is a cricket fan and he writes okay is evident from most of his posts. 1000s of our students swear that he can motivate almost anyone to double his/her percentile through very simple yet powerful inputs. And that’s why every MBAGuru student has direct access to him via mail and Telegram. Oddly, he somehow also finds the time to write songs professionally. And yes … almost missed this … he is an alumnus of IIT Delhi & IIM Cal 