A MEMO TO MYSELF AND OTHER MINNOWS

It took me 16 years after college to get to where I am .
Premed + Med school =8 years
Pediatrics training =1 year
Internal Medicine= 3 years
Pulmonary Medicine = 2 years
Critical care= 1 year
Diving Medical Officer, Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine = 1 year

Yes that is 16 long years before I could make a wage that I could call real money. I still have to read everyday to keep up. Learn new techniques and pass my recert boards every 10 year for all specialties. It is a long road.

Before that I had a great life. Me, Oscar and Paolo would go to school and in the evenings we would chase pretty girls in Manhattan. At night I would work in a basement printing fake T shirts to make money. Not a damn care in the world. Life was GREAT. Then I became a real doctor and life stopped being So great. It got dedicated to others. There was no Oscar, no Paolo and I wasn't getting the middle fingers from pretty girls. People's burdens and problems became my burdens. Critical care is a field where successes are amazing but many many heartbreaks. Life stopped being great but turned into a purposeful life for the greater good. I am humbly thankful for the opportunity now and I am extremely grateful for Oscar and Paolo wherever those dumbasses are. ( actually ran into Paolo some years ago. He is an ED doc in NY).

I am a very busy individual, a matter in which I have no choice. Despite that I became fond of STEEMIT. I have written a few posts as to why it engaged me so much. There's no point reiterating it here. I have more money than I can understand. No loans whatsoever and a few toys. I try and hope to to give back to those that gave so much of their lives to get me to where I am. I truly mean it. There was enormous guidance from many. Sister Mary Francis ( my surrogate mother who taught me literature in English)to Braverman MD who was feared by all in training and he stood up to shake my hand at the end of the rotation.i wish I can make you understand what a giant boost that handshake has been to this day. Howard Doyle MD Who taught me all about surgical critical care and the end of my fellowship gave me the best gift I perhaps ever received from a teacher. It was his word's written on a book page of a book he gave me. Here's a picture

There are countless others who helped me every step of the way.

Now I am on Steemit. Started less than 2 months ago. I am sooooo happy when I get 0.001 SP. Yes I yearn for votes and I try to do a good job to earn them. I don't get much traction but I fully expect to have it someday. I am happy for the badges I get. I am delighted if someone ever comments. It has been disappointing but exhilarating in the same moments. When I am not happy with the outcome of the post, I have to remind myself what it took for me to earn my first real dollar.
So it's back to school. AGAIN. I will find Oscars and Paolos here. I am learning a whole new aspect of life and that's the fun. Life is great again. Will it be as much fun when I start doing better? Probably not. But if I get to the point of doing well here then of course I will have to learn the tricks to keep it going. Hey! I am a blogger now and that is damn exciting.

To all out there like me just starting out , count again the years above. Life is never easy. Don't envy ones who earn more here. Don't be jealous of them upvoting their posts. When you are there, you will do the same. It is time to put your head down and learn from them. These lessons are free. Invest your time in learning and drop your envies and grudges. It's school time minnows. Get this right and you be the whale. As you learn, don't forget to enjoy the journey. To quote from movie Shadowlands " the pain now is part of the happiness then"

#minnowtowhale #minnowsupportproject

Kindly upvote, resteem and comment

.