Rohan, a UPSC aspirant, who like many, would go to bed each night with grand promises to himself.
“Tomorrow will be different,” he’d whisper.
“10 hours of study, 1 mock, 2 hours of revision”
But when the sun rose, so did his old bad habits.
He’d reach for his phone, saying, “Just 10 minutes, I will see if there’s something important on telegram”, and end up scrolling through YouTube shorts, 10 minutes turned into an hour. Then two.
The library got delayed. The study plan collapsed.
Books went untouched. The guilt piled up.
And so did the belief that maybe… he just wasn’t good enough.
But despite the self-doubt, he’d never give up entirely. Even in his worst phases, he’d still read a page or two—a tiny act of something productive against the laziness that had chained him.
Then one morning changed everything.
Rohan stood frozen outside his parents’ room and heard his father say,
“We should stop hoping… he won’t crack it.”
His mother, silently broken, still replied,
“Maybe… but one more chance? I still see something in him.”
That fragile hope of his mother cut deep.
He realized his inaction wasn’t just burying his dream but it was breaking theirs too.
With teary eyes and trembling hands, he grabbed a marker and scribbled on his wall:
“No More Excuses.”
And from that day on, rohan changed his habits-
1) No phone after 12 noon. Not even for 5 minutes.
2) 2 hours of revision every day—no matter what. If skipped, he had to write the reason and stare at it the next day. That guilt became discipline.
3) He made a realistic schedule & not a fancy one.
4) Started waking up at the same time daily.
5) Every study session was timed. No aimless reading.
That year, he gave his second attempt.
The results came.
His name wasn’t there.
It broke his heart yet didn’t break his spirit. Because deep down, he knew:
“He’s close so damn close.”
When he saw the disappointment in his parents eyes again, he didn’t cry.
He looked them in the eye and said,
“One more year. Just one more. I’ll make it. I swear.”
And this time, he gave it everything .
He didn’t need motivation videos anymore—his why was strong enough.
There were still bad days, but never a wasted one. He’d not just count the number of hours he studied but would ask himself what new he learned.
And then came the third list.
‘AIR 29’
Rohan ran to his parents, breathless.
Tears in his eyes.
Voice cracking.
“I made it.”
His father broke down. His mother held him like he was five again.
That boy who once couldn’t get off his phone…
That boy who once believed he wasn’t good enough…
Had just become an officer 👮♀️ .
Moral:
You don’t need a perfect start.
You just need one honest promise to yourself and the courage to keep showing up ✨💫
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