After a few years of preparing for the Civil Services Examination, you must be familiar with the known ways of cracking this one of the toughest exams. You have zeroed in on your subjects. You have made notes or are in the process of making your notes on all necessary topics. You have devised ways to develop insights into current affairs, a select bunch of which you regularly find in this magazine. You also have picked your pearls of wisdom from the accounts and interviews of the UPSC toppers of the earlier years that CSR brings for you issue after issue every month. And, of course, you know all the prerequisites for cracking this examination: hard work, self-study, consistency, single-minded devotion, smart study, a planned approach, a sound understanding of concepts, and evolving thorough opinion on relevant issues. These conventional ways of preparation can be acquired by all or a large number of lakhs of candidates who appear for UPSC CSE every year.
However, there is another element that is equally essential for your success in UPSC CSE. It is your unique way of doing things, your style, talent, individuality, perspective, and distinctive talent gifted by the Almighty. We call it unconventional wisdom that you bring to the table through the uniqueness of your being. Conventional is important, but it is not enough without the unique touch of unconventional. Through conventional means, you will reach where most others can reach. With your unconventional best, you can surpass all others. Among the strong votaries of unconventional, I recall Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000), who wasn’t just an iconic actress from Hollywood’s Golden Age but also a mathematician and inventor. After showing her acting skills in films such as Ecstasy (1933), Algiers (1938), Lady of the Tropics (1939), Boom Town (1940) and The Female Animal (1958), the Austrian-American actress proved her innovative genius during World War II when she defeated the threat of radio jamming by co-inventing a radio guidance system using spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology which made the development of Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi possible. She once said, “I’m a sworn enemy of convention. I despise the conventional in anything, even the arts.” She also said, “All creative people want to do the unexpected.”
Unconventional wisdom can be a valuable asset in whatever you do. Unconventional thinkers can imagine new possibilities. This attribute can help you think outside the box and develop innovative solutions to problems that others might not have thought of. People who live an unconventional life have a different perspective on things. They are likelier to pursue their passions and do what they love rather than settle for a conventional lifestyle. Being unconventional can be rewarding and lead to greater happiness and fulfilment in life. However, you can be conventional and unconventional at the same time. You can be unconventional in certain areas while not being unconventional in many others. Albert Einstein, for example, was unconventional in his thinking about what the universe looked like and how it worked. But he was very conventional in his ordinary day-to-day behaviour.
Being unconventional may be challenging. Here, I describe certain habits of unconventional people that might serve as valuable tips for becoming an unconventional thinker, igniting creative pathways in your brain. First, unconventional thinkers perceive reality as it is. They do not delude themselves into thinking that the world owes them something, nor do they assume the worst in any circumstance. Second, indecisiveness never goes hand in hand with unconventional. An unconventional thinker always tends to make a decision as much as he is always oriented towards taking an action. Third, an unconventional thinker is never afraid of failure or falling. They know that making mistakes, failing, falling, and losing along the way are all part of their unique recipe for success because it is through that experience they find out what works and what doesn’t. Fourth, unconventional thinkers do not follow anyone, ever, and, most certainly, never blindly or mindlessly. Even when they follow, they follow in their own way. Fifth, they never worry about what other people think of them or what they do. Last but not least, unconventional thinkers have immense patience and long-term perspective as they know that their unconventional ideas will take time before they bring fruit or convince the world of their fruitfulness.
So, keep the flame of your unconventional self alive and never forget that success comes from being who you are, not despite who you are.
You have my best wishes to become a change-maker with your unconventional wisdom.
