In Conversation With The Fearless And Courageous

For centuries now, India has been known as a land of bravehearts. The enthusiastic, hot-blooded youth of the nation has time and again proved their valor by laying down their lives for their motherland without hesitation. It is undoubtedly this passion of the Indian youth that makes our armed forces one of the most revered and feared across oceans. At ProLift, it gives us great pleasure to witness youngsters express the desire to take up arms and defend their country at the borders.

Recently, we helped one such inquisitive individual gain clarity and the right guidance to pursue a career in Defense services. Our young mentee is a student in grade 12, who has taken up the science stream. He believes that he is good with Math and Chemistry and struggles with Physics. He expresses an ardent willingness to join the Defense services. At this threshold of leaving the relative comfort of his school life, he made the right decision by contacting ProLift. We understood his strengths, evaluated his options as a PCM student, and finally arranged a one-on-one consultation session for him with a highly decorated Lt. Col. in the army. The Colonel understood the candidate’s background and offered actionable and reliable advice. He told the young mentee about the NDA exam that he can appear for. He emphasized that cracking the exam is all about hard work and is an extremely difficult task. He encouraged the mentee to keep engineering as his backup plan and carefully consider all his choices before making a serious decision.

The Lt. Colonel recounted similar anecdotes of young men who wished to make it into the armed forces. He talked about the variety of coaching institutes that guarantee entry into the academy, before reiterating that only one’s dedication and efforts can assure that. He walked the mentee through the entire process, which starts with the NDA exam. Upon clearing the exam, one appears for the Services Selection Interview, which has a qualifying rate of 5%. You then undertake a medical examination before gaining admission into the academy for three years. The 3-year stint at the academy is a mentally and physically challenging experience, which leads to high drop-out rates. After this extensive training, you need to spend another 18 months at the IMA before getting commissioned. The Colonel showed the young boy a clear picture of what the journey would look like, in order to prepare him for the challenges that lie ahead. He also spoke about the continuous study that an army man undertakes and the written exams he must appear for in order to rise the ranks. The importance of gaining command over the English language and a solid verbal and written expression was also emphasized. The Colonel called his mentee an embryo, who has the potential to become whatever he sets his mind to, with the right guidance and assistance from ProLift.

Here are some unmissable pointers that the esteemed Lt. Colonel shared with our young mentee:

1. Practice will make you perfect.

   In order to crack the NDA exam, the Colonel asked the young mentee to read and study from a plethora of highly recommended resources. These included good books and sample papers. The NDA exam, he explained, consists of three sections; GK, English and Science. He gave tips on each section and explained the best ways of preparation for each.

   1. Create a goal-oriented mindset

      The Colonel recognized the young man’s hesitance and confusion. He asked the mentee to focus on what he wished to do, and not give in to external demands and pressures. He prodded the mentee to understand if his will to join the army was his own ambition or a result of peer pressure? He talked about the importance of identifying your goals, setting achievable aims according to your caliber and finding concrete answers by looking within yourselves.

      1. Become selfish

         The Colonel talked about how our environment can sometimes prevent us from reaching our full potential. He urged the mentee to cut ties with people who do not allow him to improve himself and focus entirely on himself and his growth. With reference to an extensive discussion regarding physical activity, the Colonel comes up with the analogy of dribblers and shooters in the game of basketball. He says that there are a lot of members on the team, but only a few score. He urges the mentee to take the initiative and become a shooter.

         1. Do not disregard your Board exams in favor of entrance preparation

            With all the debate surrounding the importance of Board examinations now that cut-offs are no longer a thing, the Colonel reminds the young mentee to focus on his board exams before turning his attention to NDA preparation. He offers a unique strategy wherein he asks the mentee to work on his strengths and the easiest parts of the examination to ensure he can score the highest marks.

            At ProLift, our job does not stop at this stop. Once we help you get real-time and authentic advice, we also help you implement these recommendations and blossom to your fullest potential.