What talking to an emergency doctor taught me (ft. Dr. Emily Rose)
Imagine working as an emergency doctor. You have to deal with intense situations that require your best judgment and performance at all times. Your working environment will be stressful, to say the least. So how do you keep yourself energized and motivated to go to work every day? How do you find your happiness in what you do?
To answer these questions, Dr. Emily Rose joined me in the latest episode of the GIVE Experience podcast to share her advice for college students struggling with the uncertainty of their future and stressing to find their ultimate career paths. Even though her work as an emergency doctor “[is] so daunting, ...overwhelming, …stressful, and busy,” as she described in the podcast, “on a daily basis, [she] really honestly have to pinch [herself], because [she feels] so blessed [and] lucky to have the job that [she does].” She is always passionate about guiding her students and always there for others when they need her. Helen and I invited her to the podcast because we wanted to learn how she found her passion and deal with the stress that comes along the way to get to the end goal.
For many of us, the worst stress doesn’t come from a single class or that project due tomorrow but rather from the uncertainty of our future. Am I going to make it? Will my effort get me to where I want to be? Am I working hard enough? Am I doing enough to achieve my goal? In the process of questioning ourselves, we become unsure about the effort we put in, and we start doubting ourselves.
After experiencing her journey in becoming an emergency doctor, Dr. Rose assured us that she always had the same doubts about herself. She admitted that she also struggled during her undergrad years being a pre-med student.
“To be perfectly honest, the hardest part for me was where you guys are right now. That undergraduate experience for me was so stressful and so overwhelming,” said Dr. Rose.
The only way to keep us motivated is to make sure that the end goal is deeply gratifying for us. “Keep that light at the end of the tunnel, shining as much as you can. Keep showing up, keep doing the work, but like give yourself sort of treats and enjoyment along the way. You got to start enjoying life now, enjoy the process because you're never going to get back your college experience,” said Dr. Rose.
When people tell me to enjoy my time, I usually take it as a joke because I know that enjoying my time can’t get me to places. Dr. Rose shares that “you have to work hard, you have to do a good job because that's part of your happiness to be accomplishing things, doing things well you are made to work in.”
So where do you start? You must look to find happiness in the journey, not just in reaching your goals. Life is always going to be challenging, whether you reach your goals or not. If you do achieve your goals, you’ll simply find new ones to chase after. Enjoying the process is just as important as looking ahead to the future.
Today is National Stress Awareness Day, so I hope everyone can take this as a reminder to check in with yourself and reexamine what you can do to make your journey a bit more enjoyable. Remember to take a break if necessary.
Lastly, I want to share this quote from Dr. Rose. “In this world, what you reap is what you sow in life...a lot of the times, it doesn't seem like you're accomplishing much, but you're planting the seeds for your future.” You are doing something amazing, my friend. Fight on!