Hey everyone,
School starts today (Monday, September 10) and I’m up at 4am, apparently, to mark the occasion. Ever since I can remember, I can’t sleep the day before school. Too excited! As I’ve said various times, this year is fairly pivotal in my education – we take formulas and internal medicine, as well as advancing in our clinical education. I will be working in triplicate with a professor who I have utmost respect for and hope to continue working with for a while - ArnaudVersluys . I’m excited because I have a clinic shift with him as well as taking a Classical texts course he is teaching that is focused on the Shang Han Lun. But the mother-ship is formulas at the end of the week – this is the class I feel like I have been waiting for since I started school.
Anyway – my time to write becomes more cramped and so I hope you will stick with me as I adjust to my new schedule. I still hope to post daily, but I will need to experiment with new kinds of content and new formats to make sure I can get something of quality out but still fulfill my various responsibilities. This summer of researching and writing for four or five hours at a time has been wonderful – I’m hoping it trained my writing muscles well enough to give my readers what they need.
Last night we had an orientation in one of the most beautiful homes I have ever had the privilege to be in. Our CCM orientation is always incredibly special, because all of the doctors introduce themselves. This is a great time for me because so often we don’t get to simply observe these incredible individuals, don’t get to hear them talk about what it is they do. For the past two years, at least, they have simply given us a few words of wisdom along with telling us what their educational philosophy is and what they are passionate about. This time I was paying close attention to what they said and I thought I would share a few observations – a few distilled words of wisdom – to carry all of you into your various endeavors.
1. Enjoy yourself. There is a lot of work required of us in life, perhaps even more so when we are in formal schooling. But it is of paramount importance that you are able to step back, see the awesomeness of your life – and just enjoy it. If you think you’re being too serious – you probably are.
2. Having respect for your teachers isn’t enough – demonstrate it through your attitude and actions. You may think being late for class, failing to study before lecture, checking email and text messages during lecture and chatting with friends during lecture are small things – even possibly necessary to your existence. But they demonstrate a complete lack of dedication to the learning of this material, a lack of respect for the wealth of knowledge and experience your professors bring to you and – perhaps worse – a total lack of respect for your decision to commit yourself to what you are doing.
3. Your particular contingent of students and professors (or co-workers, if you are in a work environment) came together in a special, unique way. In a sense, you are “meant” to be together in this place and time. Honor that by being present fully and taking full advantage of the resources available to you.
4. Look at life with a childlike enthusiasm. It’s easy to get jaded in this world. Some of the people I love the most are so cynical, so “over” so many things – it makes me truly sad. Get excited about things again. Be excited about your education. Be excited about your future. Demonstrate that enthusiasm by being openly ready and willing to receive whatever is coming to you. For students, demonstrate that enthusiasm by allowing the teachers to do their part of the work to transmit this medicine to you. Then do your part by respecting them, by studying hard, by deepening your commitment to your profession and by having a great time doing it.
5. Complain less, problem-solve more. I love the democratic process. I love when people see that something needs to change and actively seek to change it. I despise endless complaining for no reason. Nary a complaint should leave your mouth without being followed by a plan to rectify the deficient situation. For everything you find wrong with the world, there is probably something you need to change about yourself. Aside from this – for everything you find wrong with the world, seek to recommend at least 5 ways that thing could be changed by the people responsible for changing it.
Eric
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice post but great title – really catches the attention. I can say with certainty that your writing muscles are in great shape. I always enjoy what you write.
Good luck in you coming year.
Haha – I’m glad you enjoyed the title. I used to write titles like that on all my blog posts, but decided to be a little less artistic and a little more transparent on this blog. Maybe I’ll mix it up a little.
Thank you for your kind words.
Eric
Your perspective is honored for sure. Focusing on problems will create only…MORE problems. Therefor no matter what the problem is if we focus on solutions, one day it must come to us. Sooner or later, sooner preferred ;)