Stamina...Do you have it?

It's Friday night..just waking up from a long nap.  I only had 2 1/2 hrs of sleep the night before...I made a huge mistake Thursday evening and took a 3 1/2 hr nap...and that caused me to stay up til 4am studying.  Crazy...I had to get up at 6:30am to get my son to school on time..This morning was a time I wish he caught the bus or could walk to school alone....I was tired.....But, once I got going, I found energy from somewhere...It was crazy. 

I had a full day, today.  I didn't have time to attend any lectures, so tonight I will be catching up on those. 

• I had to work on a report that was due today at 1pm.  That took the first two hrs of my day. 
• I had to go to my PaCE quiz and review session for two hrs. 
• Then it was time for lunch.  Everyday I have to pick up my son for lunch. (that's the rule of the school, which is sometimes an inconvenience..not that I dont want to each lunch with him, but there is so much to do).  I guess this makes you stop and get away for one hour....
• Problem Base Learning (PBL) for another two hours....This is a group of 8 med students that come together and work on a case.  The objective is to learn how to identify problems and find solutions through research and collaboration with team members.  I'm blessed to be in such a diverse and great group.
• Picked up my son from school, then time to go home...around 3:30pm...

Keep in mind I had to do all this on 2 1/2 hrs of sleep.  Never again...Although I was feeling okay..I learned today in PBL, that I was operating on chronic partial sleep deprevation and it negatively affectes my  hippocampus, the center of memory and emotions of my brain.  Basically, not getting at least 6 to 8 hrs of sleep a night impairs your memory performance....WHO NEEDS THAT IN MEDICAL SCHOOL?  I sure don't.  I need to improve my HIPPOCAMPUS performance...LOL..  If your ability to encode, consolidate and recall is impaired...You are wasting your time...studying all hours of the night....So, lights out at 11:30pm for me....NO Matter what...But, not tonight..LOL...I have a lot of catching up to do....I will sleep in tomorrow..It's Saturday....

So, as I was reflecting what makes a successful medical student, is he/she must have stamina.  Stamina is the ability to sustain prolonged physical or mental effort.  The emphasis is on PROLONGED....The amount of information given to us during this first month was incredible.  We are going to get more and more and more...LOL....The challenge is how to process and managing it.

I hear so many peers saying they are so far behind.  But, in actuality...are they?  Not at all.  You can only study so many hours of the day and really retain the information.  So, is being "behind" that bad.  The bad part is if you are not getting to all the material.  I know we are dealing with a lot of type A personalities that are use to getting A's in most classes, so not mastering a concept is ripping them apart. RELAX...REGROUP...Everything is going to be fine...



As I was preparing to get into my studying, I thought to myself..You really need stamina to make it through medical school. Stamina along with discipline and planning are crucial keys.  Don't get overwhelmed.  Schedule, Schedule, Schedule....That's is so funny.  I use to tell my oldest son that all the time.  I would say, "you can get everything you need to get done in a day as long as you schedule it."  That's how I jungled so many things during my preparation for medical school.    I had everything scheduled, even my free time. I learned that from when I was a realtor in California.  There was a top performer with Century 21 Realtors.  She was awesome.  Everyone wanted to know how she consistently performed well year after year.  And the one thing I remember her saying is, She has a strict schedule.  She even had to schedule her family time.  WOW...it seems very strict.  But, in order to achieve greatness you must be willing to make the necessary sacrifices to achieve it....have a plan and follow it.  Remember, for every sacrifice there is an equal or greater reward...

As you continue on your road to manifesting your dreams/goals check your stamina meter...review your plan...make necessary adjustments...and most importantly...

GO DO IT.....FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD.....