Dr. TLK_ my journey on Steemit/life # 1_ What have I been doing?

To my dear readers,

First, I would like to apologize if my contents lately are not to bar with your expectations.

Second, I wanted to update you on what I have been doing and why my productivity has dropped recently. The reason I want to share this with you is not because I want to give myself excuses, but because I want you to know how important you are to me and how much I care about your opinion and support.

The reasons are:

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1- I have been working on my post-doctoral project for the past 2 years and now I am very busy trying to finish it before leaving research life for good

You may ask, what do I mean by leaving the research life for good?

I have been doing medical research for the past decade or more, starting in 2004. Few years ago, at the beginning of my post-doctoral training, I joined a lab that made me reconsider my future in research completely.

I joined research because I love helping people. Back in my country I wasn't able to study medicine because my brother didn't allow me to go to medical school since it was a mixed school (classes with both boys and girls). If you read my life story from the beginning, then you knew about this already.

When I found about medical research, my hopes of being able to help humanity came back again. Adding to that the fact that my supervisor when I started in 2004 until 2007, was a great and extremely intelligent man. His love to research was infectious and his believe in my capabilities was encouraging. From there I embarked on a journey with a vision to build my research career and become an independent investigator, having my own lab and my own students to teach and help grow.

However, the lab I joined in 2014 crushed all these dreams with realities I didn't want to face. The reality about me being a woman without the support of money or power in a field embedded with politics, rules and hierarchies. Politics made by men who reached high places they don't deserve and are now making sure that people are not going to catch up, unless they play the game.

I refused to play the game and that cost me my future career as an independent investigator. I lost interest and struggled for the past couple of years to finish the project I started, as well as to figure out what would my next step be. It took me a while and lots of stressing and depressing, but I finally found out what I wanted to do.

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This brings me to the next reason:

2- I want to help people believe in themselves and realize their dreams

I have been through many obstacles in my life so far. If you have been following my personal story, you would know that it has not been a fun ride at all (at least from the parts I wrote). My biggest enemy was and still is my family. Despite the lack of support, the constant demoralizing remarks and crushing treatments I received, I was still able to persevere and become successful (at least in my education). My biggest challenge was the Post Traumatic Stress Disorders I had as a direct effect of the treatment I have been through. My PTSD symptoms were depression, severe/irrational fear, panic attacks, self loathing, suicidal thoughts and all the negative words I heard throughout my life that kept playing inside my head, despite being thousands of miles away from my family .

None of the medications and therapies I went through was enough to help make me a normal person again. Only my own desire and with sheer will power was I able to conquer most of the PTSD symptoms I have for good. And to be honest, I am very proud of myself for achieving that.

Because I have been through these experiences, because I know how it feels to be in that situation and because I was able to come over them, I feel that I can understand some of the difficulties people have in their lives. That is why I am obtaining official training/certification as a life coach to be able to help other people get over their blocks and attain the future they want for themselves. Be it successful career, relationship, or just happy and peaceful life (from within)

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The third reason is,

3- I became a curator for @qurator group. I am the writer of their "The Daily Qurator." episodes
I suggest everyone to check it out and maybe decide to join if they want.

The fact that I am doing all these jobs in parallel is the main reason why my productivity has become less and my contents lost a lot of edge.

I am hoping things will get better by the end of this year or the beginning of next year. At least by then I hope I won't have my research project to worry about, which takes a big chunk of my daily life. At that time, I hope to get back to writing more and deliver better materials.

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Until then, I sincerely ask for your patience and continuing support.

Much Love

Dr. The Leaping Koala

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