A sense of pride

There are times where I'm feeling really great, and this is one of them - which was triggered by the events of the last couple of weeks. I'm going to admit that I've been feeling a bit weighed down by a few things recently - such as decisions for later in med school, family, and just not feeling 100% about the training, but I'm feeling a lot better now. A large reason for this is that I actually managed to go and talk to someone about what was up, which really helped.

Sometimes friends just aren't appropriate to talk to certain things about. My best mate went away for the last week but came back and that helped me get out of the ditch a bit, but I also managed to talk to one of my tutors at the University last week, and she really helped me in clearing a few things up. It's often great to talk to people who have been through what you have, and know where your thoughts are aimed at. It's also just great to talk to people you have an awesome connection with - so don't keep things bottled up inside. This past fortnight has really taught me not to do that (and I'm already one of the guys who is pretty honest in speaking his mind).

But since yesterday, I've gained a real perspective on what the timeline over the next few years will be like. In two years, my friends will have finished University; yet I'll be doing rotations in hospital. In four years time, I'll be an intern at a hospital, working my way into surgery, which is going to be great. It's that level of comfort and perspective, just knowing that you have to stay positive, which will really keep you on track. So don't lose sight of that!

Finally, it's good to be studying/working at an institution that you're truly proud of. There have been moments at each of the Universities that I have been in, when I have walked through the gates and looked at the signature architecture of that university/school, and really thought: "Wow. I'm am a member of a great academic institution; but in the future, I'm also going to further the reputation of this place." Yes - you might complain that it sounds arrogant; but I really don't mean it in that way. I simply mean that you should feel great pride because you inevitably will be promoting the institution you studied at when you're achieving great success later.

Stick with that level of dedication and achievement. And always make sure you work hard at been a well-rounded individual; there is no other area in life more important than understanding as many things as possible - at least not for me.

Stay focused!

Lemming