Imagine aspiring to be a civil servant and giving attempt after attempt with no success. And the cycle keeps repeating till the fifth attempt and only one last chance is left to crack the UPSC CSE. What will the aspirant’s mental condition be by this time? She might be disappointed, low on confidence and losing faith in herself, with no strength left to stand up and go through the whole process once again. 

Indeed, this was exactly what Aakriti Sethi went through. She couldn’t crack the prelims five times, and in the sixth attempt, her marks were an all time low. Yet, she didn’t give up and gave the last attempt bravely and was finally able to crack UPSC CSE 2022 with AIR 249. This was her last attempt and this victory changed her life forever. From being a failure, she is now an inspiration for many. 

The journey was long and tough for her, and at one point of time, she was really struggling with her mental condition. It was her family, especially her parents’ love and support, that helped her get back on track again. Indian Masterminds presents the story of Aakriti Sethi whose journey is nothing short of that of a warrior. She is currently attending the foundation course in LBSNAA. 

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RELATIVE PLANTED SEED OF CIVIL SERVICES 

Hailing from Ambala, Ms. Sethi was one of the brightest students in the town. Her parents were really proud of her. She graduated and did Masters in Economics from Delhi University. After her graduation, she did a private job for more than three years to support her family. Talking on a media platform, she said, “My parents always believed that I would do something good in my life but civil services never ever came up. It was a relative who said that if I am so good in studies, then I should go for civil services.” This stuck to her mind but she chose to take up a job to support her family. After the wedding of her sister, she quit the job and started preparing for CSE in 2017. She gave her first attempt and couldn’t clear prelims. The same was repeated in 2019. 

FEAR OF FAILURE LEADS TO ANXIETY

These failures really hit her. Once a bright student who used to top in school and college, and was equally good in sports, now her life became stagnant. She was stuck in the prelims stage. Before the 2019 attempt, she started to have the fear of failing again. The fear of exam and stress was disturbing her mental health. “I used to cry at any time. I was not able to sleep or study. This really worried my parents. They no longer wanted anything to do with UPSC. Their life revolved around my well-being and happiness.,” she said. She was going through anxiety but due to the unconditional love and support from her parents, she was able to fight back. She said that her mother made sure that she did not have to take medicines but got healed with time and care. 

FEAR OF BEING LEFT BEHIND

Ms. Sethi was earning well but decided to leave the job. Her friends and cousins were moving ahead in life in terms of success and money. She feared she would be left behind. Her social contact was minimum. She wasn’t talking to most of her friends as she couldn’t answer about her life. “The face of my father used to come in my mind. He never pressurized me for anything. Even if someone asked about my marriage, he would shut them up. For every exam, he went with me. Whenever I would tell him that I wasn’t sure about the exam, he would give me confidence to do better next time,” she said. 

While she was struggling with all this, her family focused on boosting her confidence. She said that this phase can come in the life of any aspirant. It is important to identify it and give time to oneself to heal. “If mind is healthy and fit, everything will fall in place,” she said. 

YOU CAN DO ANYTHING

When the result of UPSC CSE 2022 came, all her family members cried. However, those were tears of joy! Her struggles have made this success extra special for the entire family. For this success, she thanked her parents and mentor MK Yadav, who guided her. She realized that the lack of guidance and mentorship was the reason for her failures. “It is important to have someone who can show you the way. Besides that, one should never lose confidence in oneself,” she said. She concluded by saying that as we get what we manifest, so we must always tell ourselves that we can do anything!