Let me make a few things clear at the very beginning itself. If you have not cracked the CLAT-2016 and you are reading this note looking forward to get any sort of sympathy or condolence– read no further. If you believe life is unfair and unworthy people got lucky and cracked the exam, read no further. If you think you worked hard but ‘something’ ‘somewhere’ didn’t work out for you- I beg you – please read no further. This note is strictly meant for those who wish to learn from their failures. Those of you who would like to credit ‘reasons’ and ‘excuses’ for their failure, please spare yourself the trouble of reading this rhetoric.

CLAT 2016, after the sensational and controversial CLAT 2015, was described by multitudes of students as a cakewalk, child’s play and some students even went to the extent of calling it a ‘joke’. However, the results proved that it wasn’t funny. If some of you are considering going through the ordeal of giving CLAT another shot, remember the lesson learnt – don’t dare consider the CLAT as a joke. I have deliberately used the word ‘ordeal’ because this is what it is. Selection in a National Law University comes at a cost and unfortunately not everyone has the ‘heart’ to pay the price for it.

Hang on a minute – are you under the impression that hard work and intelligence is all it takes to crack CLAT or to become a winner? If that’s what you think I am afraid you are sadly mistaken. I wish it was that simple, only it isn’t. Ask those who have cracked the exam and are featuring in promotions of the different CLAT Prep Centres and you will realize that it wasn’t just the intelligence (in some cases you’d think the people who are selected aren’t even intelligent) and the hours put in, it was their discipline, devotion and dedication which made them successful.

So, that’s the moral of the story. Intelligence and hard work have very little to do when it comes to being successful. Success is rarely the outcome of intelligence and hard work. Success is the reward of 3 Ds we discussed earlier – Discipline, Devotion and Dedication. Those who cracked CLAT 2016 deserve every bit of the applause and the accolades showered upon them, not because they are astoundingly intelligent and hardworking beyond comparison. It is an ode to their commitment and devotion. Success demands and earns appreciation, acknowledgment and respect. Success does that to people. No wonder, everyone out there wants to be successful. Success mesmerizes and enchants and it sells…..

That’s the beauty of success. And believe you me …no success is complete without failures. May be that’s why when we hear all the successful people talk about their journeys, they emphasize so much on their failures. The key is not in never failing – it lies in facing failures and dealing with them. Failures are not catastrophes; rather they are opportunities in disguise.

What now, is the question at hand? Should you write CLAT 2017? Should you drop the idea of pursuing law? Which law school should you consider joining? Failure brings you face to face with a lot of unpleasant and difficult but important questions. The solutions are not too difficult to find. And those of you, who are willing to go the distance will find the solutions and better still, create them.

Let me finish this note with some beautiful lines from Master Oogway of Kung Fu Panda fame, for some perspective – The past is history, the future is mystery, but today is a gift, that’s why they call it the Present!