The secret of success

It was for the first and probably the last time in my history at St.Thomas that a class in which I've been in has managed to bag the first prize in the class magazine competition.Well,it is simple as that-we are supposed to create a magazine of our  class with the works of our colleagues,be it poems,stories,articles or even drawings in the best possible creative manner in which we can.But to tell you the truth,it is the most hectic task of an academic year when all students go crazy with associated works of the magazine.We bunk classes,run behind it all throughout the year and have to finally catch up with others when it comes to academics.The making of the class magazine is something that has enough stuff to keep me busy all the day and make me tensed if not create a pressure cooker out of my head!I remember the days when  we all spent the whole year working desperately hard only to mess up everything in the end.We start collecting the articles in June when the year starts and still gets hardly enough time to complete it.Days which have proved the old proverb wrong-Well begun is definitely not half done!And even with all those days spent behind it we have constantly failed to secure the top position.
                          But this year we stunned ourselves.Being in ninth our academic year was filled with studies,FAs,model exams and SAs!We hardly had any time to dedicate for our class magazine!Besides none of us expected the Ninth graders to have class magazines taking into consideration our tight schedules!We expected them to cancel our competition.But alas!It was 2 weeks into the submission of the class magazine that we came to know that we were expected to be part of it.The next few days which followed saw us working really hard in the marathon to complete our work.We had barely a week more and we knew that we had to do something!We tried pleading to the authorities to get the date extended but our class teacher was so adamant on us completing it on time!With all of us working equally hard,we made the herculean task feel like something really simple.And we made wonders occur-we were able to complete it before time with just a week in front of us.
                     A few days before when the results came out,it came in as a real surprise.Our class teacher was really happy for us that she promised to offer us a treat!And now I know something.It is not the time you've spent doing something that counts.It is the effort that counts.And when that effort is collective,sincere and when it comes with true understanding,in comes a success.