Let the People You Love Become Your Reason to Study

Who doesn't love a good love story? I have a short one for you today. It comes with a message, and it might just light a small fire in you. Read on.

A boy and a wall

A few years ago, on Valentine's Day, a boy was walking down a road. Not just any road. This one ran along the boundary of IIT Delhi.

He wasn't there to watch the couples. They were out, of course — laughing, sharing pizza, celebrating. That whole area is packed with students from every corner of India. They come for the coaching institutes. They live in cramped hostels, eat food they'd never choose, and chase one dream. On most days, that dream is all they think about. On Valentine's Day, the prep takes a break and the celebrations take over.

But the boy kept walking. Past the couples. Past the lonely ones too. He walked until the road went quiet and no one was around.

Then he stopped. He reached out and touched the red boundary wall. He closed his eyes, took a breath, and said it softly:

"You are what I want. I love you. Happy Valentine's Day, IITD."

In that moment something caught fire in him. He decided, right there, that he would get inside that wall. He would study at IIT Delhi.

So he worked. He wasn't a natural — studies didn't come easy to him. But he kept going anyway. He took the tests. He went back over his mistakes and fixed them. He sped up. He was, in his own strange and stubborn way, courting his valentine.

Did he get in? What happened to his love story? You already know what I want you to believe. 🙂

Why I'm telling you this

Here's my point.

Almost everyone starts with a dream. Then life walks up and shows you all the lovely things you could have right now — friends, fun, someone who makes your phone buzz. And many students lose the path there. They sink so deep into the nice things that the big goal slips out of sight.

I've seen students set aside a whole week of prep just to please a girlfriend or boyfriend. Don't do that. It's the wrong move, and deep down you know it.

Do the opposite. Use the people you love as fuel.

Let their presence push you, not pull you. Picture how proud they'll be when you make it. Tie your dream to a face you care about, then go earn it. Love doesn't have to be the thing that distracts you. It can be the thing that gets you to your desk on the hard nights.

Make it a promise

The boy at the wall didn't just feel something. He made a promise out loud, to a thing he wanted, and then he kept it. That's the whole trick. Feelings fade by Monday. A promise you actually keep is what changes a result.

So make one. Pick the person — or the place, or the version of yourself — you're doing this for. Say what you'll do. Then put your head down and do it.

Your turn. Think of one person who would be over the moon if you got into the college you want. Write one sentence: "I'm going to work for [name] by [doing this, today]." Now go do that one thing before you do anything else.

The short version

• Don't let love become your excuse to stop. Let it become your reason to go.
• Don't trade a week of prep for someone's approval. Win their pride instead.
• Feelings fade. A promise you keep is what gets you through the wall.

Go on. Make the promise. Then get to work.