Discipline
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Some people are just born with discipline.
At high school, one of my peers had, from the age of five, risen at 5am, pratcised his violin and done some mathematics study prior to riding off to school. Upon his return, he would complete his homework before his afternoon tea, then practice his violin, do some more mathematics and then listen to national radio for an hour or read a book until bed time. Not many Kiwis end up at MIT. But he did.
I'm always impressed by those athletes who stumble out of bed and into a pool, onto a bicycle or into their sneakers for a pre-dawn training session. Although I endured many early-morning sessions as a waterpolo player, there's a bit of a different set of obligations when it comes to team sport. Amateur solo athletes just seem to have an extra level of guts. They're doing it for no one but them. They want it.
I'm not sure what it is. For some people it's extreme fitness, for others it's a substitute to a morning coffee. And for others, it's knowledge or another goal that needs Hard Yakka to get there.
Throughout most Uni, my study habits have been atrocious. When it came to multiple hours of reading, or even taking more than a few pages of scribble as notes, my self discipline was frankly absent.
Similarly, I was, as my mum would say, a 'Call Out Kid'. At primary school, I wanted to talk. I didn't want to sit at my desk. I wanted to see what everyone else was doing. I wanted to tell them what I was doing. Talk talk talk talk talk. Yup, that was me. When it came to talking, well, I lacked discipline.
Not much of that changed over time; eventually I became, well, a touch more atuned to what I was saying and when I shouldn't say it. I still have a tendency to shoot my mouth off socially. Thankfully, one of the biggest things I've learned at med school is (some) ability to keep a lid on it.
This sort of self discipline developed in two phases; primarily, beginning to see the pharmacy-medicine coin from both sides saved me expounding my more outspoken pharmacy views. Especially to patients. Prior to seeing patients more regularly in a med student setting, I'd often give pharm patients great detail about what to expect for their entire treatment plan. Now, in a pharmacy setting, I'm much more focused on that aspect of care, and making sure the patient understands that.
Additionally, in the first semester of med, I was expected to be a guru in some aspects. I did, after all, work as a pharmacist, so I must know a thing or two about drugs and symptoms and the like. Right? Unfortunately, my basic physiology was, well, crappy. It wasn't up to Med1 standard. It doesn't pay to 'show you know' if really you don't. Step one; study more effectively. Step two; talk later in the piece.
So, in addition to that pure fear and respect that fresh Clinical students feel on Consultant Rounds, perhaps a level of self discipline might have also helped me keep my trap shut. It certainly helped me remember how to study again.
At high school, one of my peers had, from the age of five, risen at 5am, pratcised his violin and done some mathematics study prior to riding off to school. Upon his return, he would complete his homework before his afternoon tea, then practice his violin, do some more mathematics and then listen to national radio for an hour or read a book until bed time. Not many Kiwis end up at MIT. But he did.
I'm always impressed by those athletes who stumble out of bed and into a pool, onto a bicycle or into their sneakers for a pre-dawn training session. Although I endured many early-morning sessions as a waterpolo player, there's a bit of a different set of obligations when it comes to team sport. Amateur solo athletes just seem to have an extra level of guts. They're doing it for no one but them. They want it.
I'm not sure what it is. For some people it's extreme fitness, for others it's a substitute to a morning coffee. And for others, it's knowledge or another goal that needs Hard Yakka to get there.
Throughout most Uni, my study habits have been atrocious. When it came to multiple hours of reading, or even taking more than a few pages of scribble as notes, my self discipline was frankly absent.
Similarly, I was, as my mum would say, a 'Call Out Kid'. At primary school, I wanted to talk. I didn't want to sit at my desk. I wanted to see what everyone else was doing. I wanted to tell them what I was doing. Talk talk talk talk talk. Yup, that was me. When it came to talking, well, I lacked discipline.
Not much of that changed over time; eventually I became, well, a touch more atuned to what I was saying and when I shouldn't say it. I still have a tendency to shoot my mouth off socially. Thankfully, one of the biggest things I've learned at med school is (some) ability to keep a lid on it.
This sort of self discipline developed in two phases; primarily, beginning to see the pharmacy-medicine coin from both sides saved me expounding my more outspoken pharmacy views. Especially to patients. Prior to seeing patients more regularly in a med student setting, I'd often give pharm patients great detail about what to expect for their entire treatment plan. Now, in a pharmacy setting, I'm much more focused on that aspect of care, and making sure the patient understands that.
Additionally, in the first semester of med, I was expected to be a guru in some aspects. I did, after all, work as a pharmacist, so I must know a thing or two about drugs and symptoms and the like. Right? Unfortunately, my basic physiology was, well, crappy. It wasn't up to Med1 standard. It doesn't pay to 'show you know' if really you don't. Step one; study more effectively. Step two; talk later in the piece.
So, in addition to that pure fear and respect that fresh Clinical students feel on Consultant Rounds, perhaps a level of self discipline might have also helped me keep my trap shut. It certainly helped me remember how to study again.
Self discipline is something that develops as we experience life. Even elite athletes will develop these skills as they go, even if they appear to have alot to begin with - we're all individuals. On the study front it's really about finding what works for you. Study routines are good but they don't work for everyone. In my experience one can benefit from allowing flexibility. You choose what you want to study and when you want to study it. Otherwise there's no point you won't get the full benefit from it. You need to tailor it to suit your needs. And remember any amount of study is better than none. That mix of fear and respect is what I felt when I started in Pharmacy - I'm sure you know it will pass in time as you gain hands on experience, problem solving skills and confidence
in your ability to handle whatever situation is in front of you. It's always good to observe the social cues of the situation - but some people learn through verbal interactions - yes there is a balance and there's always the possibility of it going pear shaped.