Where Are My Boss Ladies At?

     I'm not sure if it has to do with my newfound awareness but lately, I've been incredibly inspired by the women around me. As a woman pursuing the medical field, I am fortunate to know many incredible ladies that are on this journey with me, but the strong ladies are not limited to the future doctors. I am also happy that I get to call some of the most incredible women my friends. 

     For those that aren't sure what exactly a boss lady (a.k.a girl boss) is, I believe the concept is best defined by Sophia Amoruso, author of the book #GIRLBOSS. She defines the term as, "someone who's in charge of her own life. She gets what she wants because she works for it. As a #GIRLBOSS, you take control and accept responsibility. You're a fighter --you know when to throw punches and when to roll with them, but always on your own terms. You know where you're going, but can't do it without having some fun along the way. You value honesty, over perfection. You ask questions. You take your life seriously, but you don't take yourself too seriously. You're going to take over the world, and change it in the process. You're a badass." When I read this, I was like, "Heck yeah, that's exactly what I am" and that is the attitude that I've been keeping these past couple weeks back. Every time I see the women around me succeed, it truly inspires me and gives me hope about all the change we can bring about. But, I firmly believe that the only way that we can do this is by supporting one another. Another quote that I read recently (Thanks, Megan) was, "Behind every successful woman is tribe of other successful women who have her back." I identify with this so much because my friends have been incredible at this, and I am also surrounded by so many incredible ladies in my class that make this true as well. Individually, we are a spark, but together we can set the place on fire. 

     So, these past couple weeks, I've been rockin' and rollin', trying to make the most of my time, and reminding myself that I don't need to be perfect. I just have to give it everything that I have. I am on my own path to being a badass, but I am also cheering on the ladies on the journey with me.

     I hope everyone is having a fabulous week, and I shall talk to you soon!

- Genesis<3

When You Don't Get Into Your Dream School

     I wanted to preface this post by saying the title might not be a hundred percent applicable in my case (as you know that I actually got into one of my top choices for medical school), but I still want to address the topic and talk about my personal experience.

    All through undergrad, whenever I thought about medical school, I always thought about one particular school, my alma mater's medical school. I would always think about how I could see myself there and when my really good friend got accepted, it seemed all the more likely that I would want to attend. My heart was set on this school and when application season rolled around, you better believe their application held first priority. When I finally hit submit, the waiting began, and to my dismay, their reply took quite a while. Months passed, other schools invited me for interviews, I got accepted into these other schools, and I still had heard no reply. Until, last week. They sent me an email stating that they had reviewed my application but that they could not offer me an interview invitation for this cycle. If I had received this email months ago, I would've been devastated. Instead, I finished reading it, and I just shrugged.

     You see, in the months that it took to receive this email, I came to the realization that even though this had always been my "dream school", Any school gave me the opportunity to pursue my dream of becoming a doctor would make me happy. This notion didn't really hit me until I received a letter from one of my schools congratulating me and telling me what an accomplishment it was for me to have been selected. I had applied to a larger state school that gets many applicants. In the letter, it stated that they get over 5,000 applicants for the 300 spots they have in their program. I had about a 6% chance of getting in and I did it. I remember feeling exceptionally proud in that moment and when I was accepted to my other school I felt even more blessed. At the end of the day, I was going to be given the opportunity to add an M.D. to the end of my name, and that's all I had ever wanted.

    Also, I came to the realization that my "dream school" wouldn't get me everything that I had wanted. Whenever I thought of myself in medical school, I envisioned myself living in the city, and the school I originally wanted to attend is actually outside of the city. I remember that I was originally considering living in the city and commuting out of the city to attend this school. I don't know what was going through my mind because that was a bit crazy. Thankfully, this won't be the case with the school I'm planning to attend because it is located right in the heart of the city. So, in all actuality, I got exactly what I wanted.

     I'm sure by this point, I sound like a broken record when I say that getting into medical school is no easy feat, but I want to remind you to not let where you are accepted discourage you. Getting accepted into any medical program is an incredible accomplishment, so always keep that in mind. And if you aren't accepted this cycle, keep trying. If you honestly can't see yourself doing anything else, don't give up. I knew that if that was the case for me this year, I was just going to try again next year. Because when you have a dream, you should pursue it even if you've failed the first attempt. If it is meant for you, it will eventually work out.

     I hope this helped encourage some of you on your journey and that you had a great weekend. I will talk to you soon!

~Genesis<3

Why Everyone Should Read The Alchemist

      I absolutely love to read, but I always found it nearly impossible to read for pleasure in college, especially during my last two years. But, as my mom had highly recommended The Alchemist (She's a huge Paulo Coelho fan), I decided I would try to start reading it Junior year.

      I started reading my Mom's Spanish copy of the book second semester of my Junior year, but I got busy and life got in the way, so I read the book very off and on. I finally finished the book at the end of my Senior year. Coincidently, reading the book in this manner fit very well with the theme of the book ( I'll elaborate more on that in a bit), so I am glad it worked out that way.

     The book itself is a fable of sorts, telling the story of a shepherd that is sent on a journey to find a treasure, and as one would imagine, he has many obstacles to overcome on his way. I won't spoil the book because I really think it's a good read, but I will say that I think the book serves as a wonderful metaphor for life. The book resonated with me as a pre-med because my journey has been filled with many unexpected events, and I think it paralleled very well with what was going on in my life at the time of reading it. The book is filled with some really great quotes and as a matter of fact, one of my favorites was what I had set as my phone background during interview season. I think many of these quotes are fantastic for those of us that love to dream big, but especially for pre-meds because what could be bigger than competing with others for the chance to become a doctor? Since I don't want to spoil the story, I'll just give you a few of my favorite quotes and why I love them.

Some of my Favorite Quotes from the Book:

" People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams because they feel that they don't deserve them."

     I was attracted to this quote because I feel that it spoke to what I struggled with as a pre-med. It's no secret that medical school is competitive and you are frequently reminded that medical school is hard to get into. I remember when beginning my application process, one of my fears was not being good enough. Of course, I had good grades and had done a lot of volunteer work, but I by no means thought I was extraordinary. I loved this quote because it reminded me that I shouldn't let the thought that I wasn't good enough stop me from pursuing my dream.

" There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."

     This quote kind of goes with the one above. I think many times we can refrain from pursuing things because we think they won't work out for us. This idea isn't limited to only pursuing medical school, but any challenge in life. I think the best thing to remember though is that if you don't try you'll never know. So never let fear stop you.

" The fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself, and no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams."

     I thought this was a good quote because if you are pre-med, you know that everyone talks about how difficult medical school is, but I am pretty sure that after the fact most people would tell you that it is so worth it. If you pursue becoming a physician for the right reasons, everything you have to endure won't feel like suffering, but rather a necessary evil.

" And, when you want something, the whole universe conspires in helping you achieve it."

    I found a beautiful picture of this quote on Pinterest and this is what I had set as my phone home screen for the longest time. This quote for me has been very true and very powerful. It's crazy because some days I didn't know how getting into medical school was going to work out, but everything has fallen into place so perfectly that it feels like it was completely planned out for me. It has definitely made me believe that everything happens for a reason and as it should happen. All we can do as individuals is to pursue our dreams and see if that is the path that was meant for us.

" It is the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting."

     I think this quote is so beautiful because it points out that our dreams are what make life so worth living. The possibility of going after anything we want and becoming whoever we want to be. I know that whenever I think about how I will be starting medical school in the fall, I feel so overjoyed knowing that I will have the ability to fulfill one of my dreams.

   The book has many other wonderful quotes, but I'll let you discover them for yourselves. I think everyone should read this book because it definitely inspires you to believe that anything is possible and to not be afraid to chase your dreams because life tends to work in your favor. The most important part is believing in yourself and you'll see how everything falls into place.

    I know this is different than my typical posts, but I really loved this book, and I thought I would share why:) I hope you had a fantastic weekend, and I will be talking to you soon!

~Genesis<3