I loved Math when I was preparing for the JEE
I loved it so much that I always wanted to solve questions in the idealistic form. No shortcuts. No tricks. I would look down upon people who left Math questions. Math was there to be solved.
My idealistic approach appeared to work in my mock tests
After a nervous start as I took my JEE, I kept the same approach. I was stumped. The questions barely moved. But I refused to give up on my idealistic approach. I thankfully solved Math last. I was less idealistic with Physics and Chemistry.
I ended up ranked 638
But if you looked at my marks breakdown, based on Physics and Chemistry I would make it to the top 100. I scored so poorly in Math that I barely would have made it on Math alone. Clearly my love for Math had not helped, but let me down.
I was clearly emotional about Mathematics
3 years later, as I prepared for the CAT, I loved verbal ability and logical reasoning. I would get every question in logical reasoning right. English was beautiful, but I struggled with questions on tests. I would wonder how I scored less with my “good” English. The frustration would turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
I became a cold-blooded question solver during CAT
I didn’t take an idealistic approach to questions. I would solve them pragmatically. If I felt a question was unnecessarily difficult, I would drop it. I would not attempt a question if I thought it could go wrong.
I ended up ranked 9, scoring a 100%ile in verbal ability and logical reasoning
This time, my favourite section had been my strength. It had a deeper lesson for me. I was not just emotional about subjects I loved, I was also egoistic. I associated my performance with my own self-worth. Once my ego came into the mix, I made bad decisions. I did what satisfied my ego, not what was right.
I’ve seen so many people plagued by this at work
Traders who buy a stock because of ego. An investment decision in a startup because of emotions. An ego-tripped response to professional feedback. A strategic decision is colored by emotions. We let our emotions and ego come into play when where they should exist is in personal interactions.
The best professionals make the right decisions, not what satisfies their emotions
Like everyone human, I have constantly struggled with getting better at this. I think I am a lot better than when I was a 23-year-old. It has come from reflecting on my experiences to see what worked.
Drop your ego when making professional decisions, life is a lot better without it