It was the exam day for Clinical Skills. The day was too fair and simple and didn't matched to the mischievous character of this assessment. The flimsy sheet of rubber dam was pinched under the thorny prong of that Hu-freidy clamp. The hole was tiny, but too obvious to get away with. The task had been compromised. I was terrified, as perceived from my shallow breathing, sweaty face and shaky hands. But, I also knew that my only chance to correct my mistake, was in my ability to stay calm. Realization of this fact was the point of reversal of events.
I was able to save the task that was doomed, right before the minute hand completed it's last allowed revolution on my wrist watch. My refusal to abandon , and willingness to continue helped me pass that task eventually. Not just that, there were a series of thoughts that brought me back on track. One of them was , visualization of my son wearing a blue T-SHIRT, branded with a phraseology from a NBA's Stephen Curry, saying, " I can do all things.". It was the same $80 T-SHIRT that we earlier had an argument about, and I said that I can't afford it" Really?''. This was a clear indication that I have to go on and do a comeback today.
The second thought that came to my mind was that of a paraplegic guy trying to pull a stack of 100 LBS with a rope , in the fitness center I visited few months ago. The final thought was that of a Janitor who works in the same fitness centre. He was juggling the soccer ball on his head non stop for 8-10 minutes without failing. It was later, I found that he was a national footballer of his home country in Africa. He appeared to be around 46-48 yrs of age. What amazed me was that , he was spending 30 min of his work break into this act. Without any expectations from his own efforts, his only motive seemed to propagate joy. These are just few examples that help us understand our internal state of affairs, without having a need to give up.
Do you think you would need a push of of that external motivation to get started, or to read that extra chapter, or practice another task before you call it a day? If you are hunting for that external persuasion, then spend a moment to look into yourself, and be amazed.
You have already executed so many formidable tasks in your lives, that reflecting back on to them in a serene moment, would yield sufficient force to move ahead. Remember your long haul towards getting acceptance into a bachelor's program in Dentistry ? After that, the conflict between your implied responsibilities and your temptations to hang out with friends. Then, there was ambiguity over your future in your chosen career, that made you migrate to a distinct piece of land.
Furthermore, you struggled to find that first odd job once you landed abroad, fought an everyday brawl with life to sustain yourself, and became lionhearted so you can seek a way back into Dentistry ( a kind of Re-union)..... At every moment, there was a torpedo in you, that was trying to fight and rip off all sorts of resistance. All you have to do is to light up your torpedo, and watch all your blockages dismantled......By all means .... you are a body of motivation. Remember, you did it ' then'...so you will do ' once again'.
Rahul Monga