Motivation

At COT, I realized for the first time how important motivation is. We were instructed to decorate our flight room's bulletin board with things that motivated us. Most of us, with the help of Capt Frandsen, designed computer printouts with pictures of family, friends, vacations, sport team logos, etc., to post on the board. The idea was that we would be reminded of the people and things that have had positive impacts on our lives, and that we would then be motivated to work harder and to persevere even when we were exhausted or when it seemed impossible to accomplish everything we were given to do.

I have taken that to heart not only for medical school, but also for the rest of my life. I am eager to surround myself with reminders of the things that motivate me, because I know that they will at least give me the mental strength to persevere. In that vein, I have made it a habit to wear my Air Force PT uniform when I run. When I do that, I realize that I'm not just running for myself; I am a representative of the United States Air Force, and I must not look weak. When I come to a big hill, or when I get lost for the third day in a row and end up running almost 2 miles more than planned, potentially risking making it to class on time (true story), wearing the uniform is enough to keep me positive and keep me running, despite the challenges. For the 9/11 race, I wore my uniform. It motivated me, and as I already mentioned, I had my best 5K time ever. Motivation is truly important.

Not only the uniform, but also the bib: Running in Memory of All 9/11 Heroes