The crux of the matter

Why did I do this in the first place?

Everyone has their own motivation for choosing the medical profession.  Most did it because they wanted to save lives and some because they saw it as a route to financial security and elevated status. The latter could have become accountants, so on some level each of us had some altruistic intentions. 

No doctor came into the profession expecting to not help their fellow man, they were not counting the dollars in medical school, most were counting the pennies.  In order to get through training there is some degree of sacrifice and we only endure the suffering because one day we’ll be able to write Dr in front of our names and actually be able to help the sick and dying.  All the studying and exams have a purpose.

Somewhere along the way most of us lose our direction; saving lives doesn’t necessarily buy a nice house in a fancy neighbourhood or put the kids in private school or pay for a Mercedes.  Very often living in the rurals doesn’t pay as much as working in a cushy private hospital and let’s face it the rural communities are more in need. This is not to say that suburban Mommy’s and their posh kids are less in need of a Good Dr than the impoverished, they are just more financially able to support their neighbourhood GP or Specialist.

Life happens and it’s hard to stay on the narrow philanthropic way. 

Wherever you land up it’s important to remember why you did this in the first, because in order to get to where you are you must have had a calling or a dream.  Some hope that kept you going when times got tough.  Were you going to learn CPR and save little kids, maybe you wanted to pioneer cancer treatment?  Dreams keep you going when times are tough and when you were little they were easy to hold onto.  Unfortunately, adulting is hard and the nitty gritty of everyday life can overshadow your dream and sometimes we forget we had one in the first place.

Maybe the way you saw your future in your mind isn’t they way it’s materialized. The good thing about a dream is that it isn’t rigid or cast in stone your heart’s desire can materialize regardless of the situation you find yourself in.  Pioneering cancer treatment doesn’t necessarily mean you create the treatment, sometimes it means you mentor someone who does or sponsor a treatment program or increase awareness.  The point is don’t give up because what you saw in your minds eye hasn’t come about the way you expected it to.  Keep dreaming and working towards your goal, however it eventually manifests.