Shedding off the old

[DoctorB2B]

I've put off posting on here the goals I want to accomplish because I knew once I did, accountability would be there to kick my ass.

Background: I'm 27 (28 in a month), back in school to become a surgeon after teaching high school math for two years. My days now consist of class, hospital and the gym and a little bit of free time when I get home in the evening. I have one day a week off that I spend with my wife (no children).

I have this burning desire to be remembered for doing something great ... for having left a mark on society somehow. I don't share that with many people because they assume I'm a prideful SOB, however I know myself pretty well and I know that's not the case. I see terminal illness and death everyday in the emergency room ... I understand the brevity of life but right now I live my life in such a way that wouldn't reflect my understanding. I read "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" about two weeks ago and there was a quote that rocked my world.

"When we are born, we cry while the world rejoices ... we should strive to live a life where when we die the WORLD cries while we rejoice"

The Problem: Not everyday starts off early for me, some days I have class at 3, others at 11. I frustrate the hell out of myself because I waste so much time doing absolutely nothing of value. I read recreationally in between class and hospital but outside of that, I'm not getting much done.

The Solution: I'm posting my goals here and allowing this community to hold me accountable. I'm looking for people who are in my shoes currently or have been there before and have succeeded in progressing to a more fulfilled self. I'm willing to give out my phone number for accountabilities sake and I would inturn also hold the other person accountable as well.

The Goals: I want to adopt many of the same goals as others on this site.

1) I want to rise early. By early, I mean somewhere between 5 & 6AM. Sometimes this is difficult because I work late some nights however I want my sleep to be effective and not necessarily 8 hours as I know it's possible to get by on less.

2) More efficient in down time. Right now when I come home, I go into my office and push the mouse around and press some keys for about an hour and then go to bed. I know that time can be more effective. I would like to spend it in a book (Right now I'm reading Atlas Shrugged), planning the coming day and reviewing the past one as well. I would like to actually spend some time in quiet and relax prior to rest (one of the things required for more effective sleep in less time).

3) With the staggered daily starts to my academic schedule and my current fixation with wasting time on the CPU, I've found that I have been either cutting down on time in the gym or skipping for the past couple of weeks. I've been quite successful in getting into the gym at least 4 times per week for the past couple of years. However, now that I'm huge ... in terms of muscle I need to trim it all down via cardio. So, this two part goal is to get back into a minimum 4-time a week routine with added cardio of at least 20 minutes a minimum of 3 times a week.

I'll add more as I go, but I think this is a good start.

My biggest fear is being forgotten ... being reduced to a name and two dates on a headstone and a memory that lasts for a couple of generations and then fading into oblivion. I know I have to live my life now so that I can make sure this doesn't happen.

If you're up for accountability, constant accountability, PM me and we'll chat about details.

Thanks in advance,
Doc

[Remiel]

Originally Posted by DoctorB2B

I've put off posting on here the goals I want to accomplish because I knew once I did, accountability would be there to kick my ass.

Background: I'm 27 (28 in a month), back in school to become a surgeon after teaching high school math for two years. My days now consist of class, hospital and the gym and a little bit of free time when I get home in the evening. I have one day a week off that I spend with my wife (no children).

I have this burning desire to be remembered for doing something great ... for having left a mark on society somehow. I don't share that with many people because they assume I'm a prideful SOB, however I know myself pretty well and I know that's not the case. I see terminal illness and death everyday in the emergency room ... I understand the brevity of life but right now I live my life in such a way that wouldn't reflect my understanding. I read "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" about two weeks ago and there was a quote that rocked my world.

"When we are born, we cry while the world rejoices ... we should strive to live a life where when we die the WORLD cries while we rejoice"

The Problem: Not everyday starts off early for me, some days I have class at 3, others at 11. I frustrate the hell out of myself because I waste so much time doing absolutely nothing of value. I read recreationally in between class and hospital but outside of that, I'm not getting much done.

The Solution: I'm posting my goals here and allowing this community to hold me accountable. I'm looking for people who are in my shoes currently or have been there before and have succeeded in progressing to a more fulfilled self. I'm willing to give out my phone number for accountabilities sake and I would inturn also hold the other person accountable as well.

The Goals: I want to adopt many of the same goals as others on this site.

1) I want to rise early. By early, I mean somewhere between 5 & 6AM. Sometimes this is difficult because I work late some nights however I want my sleep to be effective and not necessarily 8 hours as I know it's possible to get by on less.

2) More efficient in down time. Right now when I come home, I go into my office and push the mouse around and press some keys for about an hour and then go to bed. I know that time can be more effective. I would like to spend it in a book (Right now I'm reading Atlas Shrugged), planning the coming day and reviewing the past one as well. I would like to actually spend some time in quiet and relax prior to rest (one of the things required for more effective sleep in less time).

3) With the staggered daily starts to my academic schedule and my current fixation with wasting time on the CPU, I've found that I have been either cutting down on time in the gym or skipping for the past couple of weeks. I've been quite successful in getting into the gym at least 4 times per week for the past couple of years. However, now that I'm huge ... in terms of muscle I need to trim it all down via cardio. So, this two part goal is to get back into a minimum 4-time a week routine with added cardio of at least 20 minutes a minimum of 3 times a week.

I'll add more as I go, but I think this is a good start.

My biggest fear is being forgotten ... being reduced to a name and two dates on a headstone and a memory that lasts for a couple of generations and then fading into oblivion. I know I have to live my life now so that I can make sure this doesn't happen.

If you're up for accountability, constant accountability, PM me and we'll chat about details.

Thanks in advance,
Doc

Very nice goals. That is an excellent start.

So what are you aiming for in life? What is your purpose?

[Strawberry]

I hope that you don't take any of what I am writing here as a put-down it is only meant to help you shift your perspective a bit. I know I will sound a bit preachy, so be it.

It sounds to me like you define yourself too much by what you do and how others perceive you more than who you are and what your values are on the inside. Your screen name says it all, DoctorB2B. While becoming a doctor is a truly noble and admirable cause, ask yourself whether you are doing it to heal people or to get paid and have a relatively high level of prestige. Possibly a combination of both? But which one outweighs the other?

If you truly feel that you are following your passion, then you will not care about the criticism or approval of others. If you are truly following your passion, then you will find a way out of your slump no matter what it takes.

Lots of people have gone down in history. Are they all good people? You seem to have a spiritual side to you. Consider that maybe the kind of ripple you create in this pond, in this life, is worth more than the applause that you receive for it. Not all great people are remembered, but all great people make their mark in a big way. Your reception in the hereafter matters more than what is written on your gravestone. Hope this helps.

[DoctorB2B]

Originally Posted by Remiel

Very nice goals. That is an excellent start.

So what are you aiming for in life? What is your purpose?

My aim is to live a life whereby on my death bed I am not wishing I had done or been more ... so then the question becomes "what does this look like?". Trying to answer that question is baffling me. I have goals ... I have so many things I want to do and accomplish. However right now, I appear to be "flintstoning" it as I sit still with my legs going a mile a minute.

I have a starting point ... consider my purpose.

Originally Posted by Strawberry

I hope that you don't take any of what I am writing here as a put-down it is only meant to help you shift your perspective a bit. I know I will sound a bit preachy, so be it.

It sounds to me like you define yourself too much by what you do and how others perceive you more than who you are and what your values are on the inside. Your screen name says it all, DoctorB2B. While becoming a doctor is a truly noble and admirable cause, ask yourself whether you are doing it to heal people or to get paid and have a relatively high level of prestige. Possibly a combination of both? But which one outweighs the other?

Fair assessment but worth commenting on. I didn't decide to pursue medicine until just a few years ago. My decision stemmed from this deep desire to help people become "better" in some form or fashion. I taught high school for two years, I pursued the fire department, I was a realtor for a period of time. Everything I have done has in some form or fashion been in an arena of helping people ... there is no greater way to help someone than to save their life which is why I want to pursue medicine. The compensation is nice, but not my motivation for staying in school until 2015. I have checked myself time and time again. My wife knows me best and feels the same way otherwise she would not have allowed me to even try.

I am proud of my pursuit though. I'm the first person in my family to graduate from college and obviously the first doctor in the family. I don't consider a negative to have pride in what I'm doing ... note that I don't think you were saying it was a bad thing, I was simply commenting.

Lots of people have gone down in history. Are they all good people? You seem to have a spiritual side to you. Consider that maybe the kind of ripple you create in this pond, in this life, is worth more than the applause that you receive for it. Not all great people are remembered, but all great people make their mark in a big way. Your reception in the hereafter matters more than what is written on your gravestone. Hope this helps.

I consider myself spiritual, but not of the sort that brings a hereafter into the equation. I don't take hereafter into consideration when trying to determine who I am and who I want to be or what I care to accomplish. What I do consider is the life tangible life that I have now and so I operate accordingly. I can explain this at a later time if you wish.

[Remiel]

Originally Posted by DoctorB2B

My aim is to live a life whereby on my death bed I am not wishing I had done or been more ... so then the question becomes "what does this look like?". Trying to answer that question is baffling me. I have goals ... I have so many things I want to do and accomplish. However right now, I appear to be "flintstoning" it as I sit still with my legs going a mile a minute.

I have a starting point ... consider my purpose.

Just a thought but all of those things you want to do contain fragments of your purpose. Have you looked into why those are appealing to you? I do realize that why is the hardest question to ask. What would life be like if you had a single, central purpose much like a compass direction that you could orient your life around?

Originally Posted by DoctorB2B

I consider myself spiritual, but not of the sort that brings a hereafter into the equation. I don't take hereafter into consideration when trying to determine who I am and who I want to be or what I care to accomplish. What I do consider is the life tangible life that I have now and so I operate accordingly. I can explain this at a later time if you wish.

I consider myself to be highly spiritual and I treat both real life and the hearafter the same. What I do in the here and now may bring about an "eternal" reward so to speak. But I do it because of the here and now.