what it means to be a doctor - a summary of my 2018
1 year.
12 months. 365 days. 8 760 hours. 525 600 minutes. 31 536 000 seconds, moments in time where perhaps we were in awe, or saddened, or happy, or disappointed, or bored.
Maybe you spent them well - reading books and widening your knowledge of history and the world around us. Maybe you studied and excelled in your schooling, or worked hard at your job and saved money - money to spend on traveling the world or a house deposit to live in your little home town.
Maybe you spent your 31 536 000 seconds living life in a cycle - one day like the next, every curve-ball an annoyance or disadvantage to your schedule. Maybe you pushed yourself to stay on task, be productive, reach your potential.
Or instead, maybe you spent those quickly passing seconds without any plan for what the next second would hold - perhaps you left your comfort zone to explore, to take risks and open your eyes to new experiences. Maybe you regretted some choices, or maybe you refuse to let regret take hold of you, and live with hope and excitement for what the next short moment will bring.
Of course, you might have spent your 31 536 000 seconds badly - perhaps you slept too much, spent too many of those seconds on social media or lonely. I know that I personally used some of my precious seconds in an unproductive way, unsure what direction I was facing in the new 'adult-world' I had recently been introduced to.
Those 31.5 million seconds can have such an impact on the world.
A year ago, there was less love in the world and Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had not yet married.
A year ago, many of our loved ones were still here, being taken for granted.
A year ago, the world had less plastic in its ocean and Blue Macaw's were not yet extinct.
A year ago, I had no idea what I was going to do with my life - I was adamant I didn't want to become a doctor because I thought I would not be able to change the world unless I did something extraordinary.
As human beings, I think we can overestimate our ability to achieve something in a short amount of time - for example, trying to get a six-pack in two weeks - but I think that in conjunction with that we somehow also underestimate the power of a year.
You see, 2018 was not an easy year for me. In fact, it was one of the most difficult years of my life so far, granted that I have been incredibly blessed and lucky in all my days passed. This year, I came close to failing one of my exams for the first time ever; moved out of home; realised that someone I thought was a friend certainly was not; took a risk and had it blow up in my face; and then figured out a way to pick myself back up and finish the year with results I was truly proud of.
During those times when my life seemed to have completely derailed itself, I had no idea why things were going the way they were, or even how to fix them. But now, with a clear head, the answer is extremely obvious:
I was lost.
I was completely, utterly lost in the world - I no longer belonged to a school community where I was part of committees and my presence was valued, I no longer knew how to get 100% in every test, I no longer knew how to prioritise myself and my own health because there were so many other things that I felt were more important.
I had to find my passion again. And so, during Week 6 of my first semester of Medicine, I rolled my shoulders, raised my chin and started to fumble my way along the path to becoming a doctor, encountering potholes along the way but eager with curiosity.
When I finished year 12, there were 2 main reasons I was reluctant to pursue medicine as a career path.
1 I thought that medicine was all about the science and biology of people, rather than connecting with them and understanding them in a way that would allow me to help them
2 I felt I was only considering it because it seemed 'prestigious'
After beginning my studies, I have realised that medicine is about so much more than the science.
Yes, we study anatomy, but we also study ourselves. We study our strengths and weaknesses, learn communication and how to examine a patient, we learn ethics and decision making and learn to connect with patients so that we can see the world from their eyes.
The fact that my course is about so much more than just science is something that inspired me, and helped me to realise that becoming a physician is about so much more than just the work we do in the hospital or workplace.
After all my indecisiveness, medicine was actually the career of my dreams.
Becoming a doctor is about activism - it is about using our platform to raise awareness for issues that are causing others suffering, and helping to empower others so that they can also change the world, because there is so much power the experiences of each person.
It is about living a life dedicated to doing all you can to help others, especially those who are marginalised or have suffered.
Medicine has allowed me to connect with my culture in a way I previously couldn't - I learnt about my Aboriginal origin and the generational trauma that disconnected me with much of my family, and realised that perhaps my dream of changing the world didn't have to involve traveling overseas but rather, involved the very land we live on.
I have been able to connect with people in their most vulnerable state, have opened my eyes to so many world issues that I will never have a shortage of something to be passionate about, and have realised that even though I am just a single person - I have power.
Every single second that we are given this 2019 has so much power within it.
Use them to smile at someone, to wake up early and see the sunrise, to sit with someone and really talk to them.
With 7.7 billion people in the world, we collectively have 242827.2 trillion seconds to make a difference.
Let's make every one of those seconds count.
All my love, Monty x
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