*Disclaimer: All stunts shown-(off?) in this article are performed by CAT experts, who know the nuances of CAT preparation inside out. Such sleeping cycles, eccentric habits and random sources of inspiration are not a part of the famous non-existent fiction-work “101 ways of how to prepare for CAT!”
I am a super late sleeper and hence a late riser (just a fact, no syllogism here).
But today, I randomly got up at 4.00 AM. It is incredible because it has now happened twice in 2 months. Usually, it only happens once in a blue moon (And I just googled it to find out what it means – A blue moon is an additional full moon that appears in a subdivision of a year: the third of four full moons in a season.) So, it happens roughly 4 times a year – sounds about right for my getting up at 4:00 AM too.
I have never woken up early for studying – NEVER. Not for my IIT Prep, not my CAT preparation.
The fact is, I am more likely to sleep at that time than to get up. “Always jet-lagged” or “lives in the US” are phrases that my close ones liberally use for me. Whenever I have visited North America, I have never experienced anything remotely close to a jet lag. So, again, sounds about right.
But I chose to convert this rare ‘mis-hap’ into something productive.
Well begun is half-done
Writing to you is the 5th (productive) thing that I am doing. Here are the first 5, in order of occurrence.
- Had a cup of hot ‘adrak’ tea for true awakening (if you are a tea-lover like me, a super high-5 and an open invitation to join me for a good, strong cuppa when you feel the need to perk up! Others in higher spirits can just google cuppa for now. There is no cuppa beer, dear and cuppa coffee is also kind of not-so-hot).
- I sat down and replied to some of the pending mails and a flurry of nearly 2 dozen telegram messages from MBAGuru students. With the sessions of various MBA colleges in full swing now, there are some queries from bright minds set to make the most of their MBA experience.
- A long morning walk on the relatively empty road in front of my house followed, and I re-started the audio book “Richer, Wiser, Happier” (by William Green) as I walked. Reading/listening to this book has been like juicing out sugarcanes – you know what I mean if you’ve witnessed the process on any roadside sugarcane juice stall and relished the rewards.
- I had a few immediate replies from students when I got back at 6.00 AM. I admire these early risers. Some of them deserved another cuppa.
A lot had been done and the day felt pretty exciting already.
Why does it feel awesome?
If I were living my life doing something I didnât like, this chance early âawakeningâ would have caused me to be grumpy and worried. It didnât.
The flexibility of entrepreneurship that I have earned means I can catch some sleep even sometime during the day, if I really really need to – small mercies, right? If I had to go to office at say 9, this would have been a tad more un-nerving indeed đ
But then, I know of quite a few mentors in our team, who are up replying to mails/messages till as late as 2 AM and still turn up sharp as Harvey (the one from Suits!) in their morning batches.
And many who are hyper-present on the Telegram groups, asking questions, taking sessions, answering your queries and pushing you to your best.
They do it because they relish it, there is that adrenaline rush they get out of seeing you get better, and reach somewhere close to your best.
Yet others, who are busy filtering and improving questions for your next session, adding that one little extra twist to a question to help you gain more from it. And then there are 1000s of questions that need to be given a final shape into AIRCATs, sectional tests and what have you.
The bottom-line is that we really relish doing what we do! We LOVE it! Why?
That something extra in you & your CAT Preparation
The ability is all yours. The hard-work is majorly yours. Also, finally the success will be yours too. The ordinary is yours, and the extra also lies within you.
Then, why do WE remain so excited?
Because it is some ride as we play a tiny role in helping you discover the âextraâ in your “ordinaryâ. It is thrilling, it is exciting, it is rewarding.
To see you blast past your doubts and unleash your real potential is such an exhilarating event.
And none of the 100s of tasks that soak in our days seem daunting. Because your energy and enthusiasm, your passion and eagerness to get better is the nitro-boost we keep getting, each and every day.
And that, dear students, makes our day. And this day had just begun đ
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 thatâs 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 