I can't believe there is only one more month before I start med school. The most frequent question I get from friends is, "Are you ready?"
While I tell them yes, the actual answer is a bit mixed.
First, I'm really excited to finally start my medical career. This has been almost 10 years in the making for me and I'm so grateful for this opportunity. On the other hand, I feel an amount of trepidation as well, stemming from voluminous information I am about to synthesize in these next 4 years. I do feel a sense of sadness that I will not have a lot of time thus forth to spend with my friends and family. But, this is path I chose for my career. Above all else though, I am determined to do the best I can so that I can be the best physician I can be for my patients.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
My Core Values
Have you
ever taken a look at your Facebook timeline back 5 years ago, or even further
than that? Oftentimes it’s pretty embarrassing: seeing old pictures of yourself
that make you gravely question your fashion sense or how naïve you were half a
decade ago. Alternatively, one of the most interesting exercises I’ve done
while looking at these old posts is to see if there were any common themes that
held constant over the years. A big question I’ve had over the past year is
what are my core values? These are the essential beliefs that serve as the M.O.
in the major decisions I have made and will make in life. I’ve never really
expressed them on paper, let alone a blog, so this is a first. These are the 3
core values that have influenced me over the past 10 years.
Core Value #1: My 80/20 Rule
- I believe that 80% of your life is directly under your control. This includes but is not limited to your effort, motivation, and attitude about life, and all the things you do under this umbrella. If you think about some of the major achievements or setbacks that you have had over the past year, you begin to realize that much of it had to do with the little things you did to get there, regardless if this led to a positive or negative outcome. Of course, there are factors in life that are purely circumstantial and this is where the 20% comes in. These are the things you cannot control such as illness or accidents. With the rest of the 80% however, I believe that it is every individual’s responsibility to utilize this 80% to the best of their ability. I realize that for some people, this places extraordinary pressure in holding yourself accountable and responsible for your actions. While this is partially true, accepting this premise also gives you extraordinary opportunity. Opportunity in that you can always reinvent yourself when you are not happy with your current situation, the ability to create things that bring value to yourself and others that you previously thought wouldn’t be possible, and reinvigorating energy to pursue goals you thought were once insurmountable… the list can go on as the possibilities are endless.
- I believe that 80% of your life is directly under your control. This includes but is not limited to your effort, motivation, and attitude about life, and all the things you do under this umbrella. If you think about some of the major achievements or setbacks that you have had over the past year, you begin to realize that much of it had to do with the little things you did to get there, regardless if this led to a positive or negative outcome. Of course, there are factors in life that are purely circumstantial and this is where the 20% comes in. These are the things you cannot control such as illness or accidents. With the rest of the 80% however, I believe that it is every individual’s responsibility to utilize this 80% to the best of their ability. I realize that for some people, this places extraordinary pressure in holding yourself accountable and responsible for your actions. While this is partially true, accepting this premise also gives you extraordinary opportunity. Opportunity in that you can always reinvent yourself when you are not happy with your current situation, the ability to create things that bring value to yourself and others that you previously thought wouldn’t be possible, and reinvigorating energy to pursue goals you thought were once insurmountable… the list can go on as the possibilities are endless.
Core Value #2: Maximize Value
- In everything that you do, make sure that it is bringing value to you or that you are bringing value to it, in a way that it also brings value to you. While this sounds like the business bottom-line, the way I define value is more encompassing than just pure financials. In order of importance, here are the things I believe to be of value. First, (1) is making a difference in the lives of others. This is the very reason why I am in the field of public health and medicine. Making a difference however, does not stop at just healthcare. I recognize that my abilities to create value in this sense should not stop at just my career. The second is (2) cultivating meaningful relationships. John Donne once told us that “no man is an island entire of itself”, and I firmly believe in this. While I am a staunch believer in self-efficacy, I also believe that we are the most optimal when we are not completely independent from people, but interdependent in that we are part of a supportive and productive community. This is why it is one of my priorities to continually build a network of friends and colleagues that I can rely on, but at the same time, bring value to in a dynamic fashion. Lastly, is (3) creating monetary wealth. I would be completely lying to you if I said I wasn’t doing it for the money. With that said however, I do view money not as an end, but as a mean to create the two preceding values I just described. From now until the day I expire, I would like to continually accrue (3) such that it is a tool for me to principally achieve (1) and (2).
- In everything that you do, make sure that it is bringing value to you or that you are bringing value to it, in a way that it also brings value to you. While this sounds like the business bottom-line, the way I define value is more encompassing than just pure financials. In order of importance, here are the things I believe to be of value. First, (1) is making a difference in the lives of others. This is the very reason why I am in the field of public health and medicine. Making a difference however, does not stop at just healthcare. I recognize that my abilities to create value in this sense should not stop at just my career. The second is (2) cultivating meaningful relationships. John Donne once told us that “no man is an island entire of itself”, and I firmly believe in this. While I am a staunch believer in self-efficacy, I also believe that we are the most optimal when we are not completely independent from people, but interdependent in that we are part of a supportive and productive community. This is why it is one of my priorities to continually build a network of friends and colleagues that I can rely on, but at the same time, bring value to in a dynamic fashion. Lastly, is (3) creating monetary wealth. I would be completely lying to you if I said I wasn’t doing it for the money. With that said however, I do view money not as an end, but as a mean to create the two preceding values I just described. From now until the day I expire, I would like to continually accrue (3) such that it is a tool for me to principally achieve (1) and (2).
Core Value #3: Continuous
Improvement
- I believe in constant self-improvement. I think it is absolutely great when we achieve our goals in life, but at the same time however, we should not allow ourselves to fall prey to perpetual celebration. After the Green Bay Packers won the Superbowl in 2011, did they keep on with the jubilance in 2012? Absolutely not… they went right back into preparing for the next season. What was once a goal that eventually became reality, should serve as a baseline standard for the next set of goals in your personal repertoire. In order to have this mindset, there is a great deal of personal analysis one needs to undertake throughout their lives. Socrates once said that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” In everyday of your life, you should spend some time to reflect upon it. This scrutiny into the inner workings of your mind often results in some serious self-questioning. While this may be unsettling, I believe that this is the key to creating the impetus for self-innovation and -reinvention. We are in a sense, beta versions of ourselves until the day we die. Keep asking questions like “was there any way I could have done this better? “Is there a better way we can do this?” “Is what I’m doing in life not speaking to my core values?” If the answers are yes, then you know what you must do. Finally, what is personal development if we keep doing the same things we do? In order to continuously improve, we need to be able to take risks. We can only grow when we venture into new territories in our lives. This is not to say that we should blindly take on uncharted waters, but this is what the second point was for. Continuously examine yourself so that you can make calculated risks in order to continuously innovate.
- I believe in constant self-improvement. I think it is absolutely great when we achieve our goals in life, but at the same time however, we should not allow ourselves to fall prey to perpetual celebration. After the Green Bay Packers won the Superbowl in 2011, did they keep on with the jubilance in 2012? Absolutely not… they went right back into preparing for the next season. What was once a goal that eventually became reality, should serve as a baseline standard for the next set of goals in your personal repertoire. In order to have this mindset, there is a great deal of personal analysis one needs to undertake throughout their lives. Socrates once said that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” In everyday of your life, you should spend some time to reflect upon it. This scrutiny into the inner workings of your mind often results in some serious self-questioning. While this may be unsettling, I believe that this is the key to creating the impetus for self-innovation and -reinvention. We are in a sense, beta versions of ourselves until the day we die. Keep asking questions like “was there any way I could have done this better? “Is there a better way we can do this?” “Is what I’m doing in life not speaking to my core values?” If the answers are yes, then you know what you must do. Finally, what is personal development if we keep doing the same things we do? In order to continuously improve, we need to be able to take risks. We can only grow when we venture into new territories in our lives. This is not to say that we should blindly take on uncharted waters, but this is what the second point was for. Continuously examine yourself so that you can make calculated risks in order to continuously innovate.
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