Saturday, August 8, 2009

Words to survive by

This last week was hard. Things just weren't clicking like they had been before. I'm still doing the same things I have been, but something was just off... I felt like I kept screwing up. I was too independent or not independent enough or asking too many questions or not enough. Everyone has different expectations of you, and it's really hard to keep them straight. I feel pretty stupid and useless on a regular basis.

Anyway. I've been falling back on some mantras to get me through it (also on some chocolate).

There's are the classic intern mantra:
They can't stop the clock. ("They" can be attributed to anyone making your life unnecessarily difficult - attendings, patients, nurses, co-residents, whomever. Time will keep passing, no matter what.)

There's the residency mantra:
There's a reason it's a four year residency. (If we were supposed to know it all on Day 1, it wouldn't need to last as long.)

And there's the little mantra I picked up from (no joke) The Next Food Network Star:
I might fail, but I'm failing at the right thing. (There's nothing else I'd rather fail at.)

Anyone out there have any other suggestions?

5 comments:

Lola Goldberg said...

There is only this moment...........

By the way, do you know that Melissa, The Next Food Network Star (and the source of your quote), has her show debut tomorrow? Let's all tune in!

I'm sending a hug your way,
Lola

Unknown said...

OK that last one is my new mantra (although I don't need it as badly thanks to the glorious 8-hour days of ULTRASOUND :)

Laura said...

I saw that episode, too, and remembered that.

Right now, my words to survive by are "The shell must break before the bird can fly" (possibly not applicable to your situation) and a quote from the Buddha "How wonderful, how wonderful, All things are perfect exactly as they are!" (applicable to EVERYONE'S siutation).

Unknown said...

Also, I'm thinking of you and miss you here in Cleveland! ::hugs::

twinsetellen said...

Does "My mom will always think I'm wonderful" help at all? Probably not, even though it is true.

Grandma J always said, "This too shall pass." A lot like your can't stop the clock one. I use it a fair amount, though not as often as I did in grad school