- 📝 Doctor Kenji's Notes
- Posts
- 🌄 A Mountain to Climb
Hey, everyone! 👋 Hope you’ve all had a fantastic week.
I wanted to share some exciting updates and reflections with all of you. Next week, I'll be moving onto my second year of foundation training, earning the fancy new title of "Senior House Officer" (SHO), a step up from my previous role as a "House Officer." With this new position comes a significant increase in responsibilities, including working more independently and facing greater challenges, especially during on-call duties and my upcoming night shifts.
As an SHO, I'll become the second most senior doctor in the hospital during out-of-hours periods, after the registrar. This title will be with me for the next 2-3 years, depending on the specialty I choose, before I progress to becoming a registrar.
Recently, I had an interesting encounter with a medical student who asked me how it felt to be moving on to this new level of responsibility. My honest answer was "it feels like nothing." It's amazing how perspectives can change over time. Looking back just a year ago, the idea of handling such responsibility would have felt overwhelming and frightening. Yet, as I stand on the brink of this new phase in my career, it feels like a natural progression.
Reflecting on this journey, I'm reminded of the importance of zooming out and seeing the bigger picture. It's easy to get caught up in the daily grind and feel like we're making little progress. If we look at who we were and what we knew a day ago, a week ago, or a month ago, it almost feels like we've progressed very little, if at all. The steps that brought us to where we are were incredibly incremental, and on a small scale, they almost appear invisible.
But sometimes, it's useful to take a step back, zoom out and view the entire picture. When we do, we might be surprised by how far we've come. It's like climbing a mountain – each step may seem insignificant on its own, but they add up to an incredible ascent. So, if you're facing a daunting task or goal, whether that be becoming a new parent, starting a new job or degree, or beginning a new relationship, remind yourself that climbing the mountain may take 10,000 steps, but getting to the top starts with the first step.
Every now and again, particularly if you're feeling unmotivated or need a boost of inspiration, zoom out and view the picture. You'll be amazed at just how far you've climbed. It's incredible how our views and experiences evolve over time, and as we continue to grow and progress, we become superheroes to our past selves.
Enjoy your week, and I'll catch you in the next newsletter!
Kenji.
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👍🏾 Things I’ve enjoyed this week
Oppenheimer (movie) - One of the best movies this year hands-down that I watched in cinema this week. It tells the story of Oppenheimer, also know as the father of the atomic bomb, and his race to help America discover the atomic bomb.
This is Us (Amazon Video Series) - This series has made me cry at least twice now xD It tells the story of a family and the difficulties that they go through in life. Hard to explain, but such a heart-warming series.
Blister prevention pads (shoe hack) - I recently bought some new loafers to wear this summer and annoyingly I keep getting blisters around my ankle. I’ve always struggled with this with new shoes, but finally I’ve found a trick to stop them happening. Check this out.
📚 Highlight of the week
Our self-image is composed of historical evidence of our abilities. The more hard things you push yourself to do, the more competent you will see yourself to be. If you can run marathons or throw double your body weight over your head, the sleep deprivation from a newborn is only a mild irritant. If you can excel at organic chemistry or econometrics, onboarding for a new finance job will be a breeze.
Your memories are a mix of fact and fiction. Your story about an experience overwrites your memory of the actual experience. So use this in your favor. Re-write your past. Embellish adventures. Disempower trauma. Re-write your stories into whatever works for you. Remember only what you want to remember. You have the right to reframe.
In a way, words can be like knives in your relationship. On the one hand, wielded skillfully, they can be as precise and as effective as a surgeon's scalpel, or even the everyday kitchen utensil, carefully used to prep nourishing meals. But when wielded unskillfully, words can be like daggers in the heart, resulting in pain, hemorrhaging, and even death of the relationship.
Resurfaced to me by Readwise
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Want to learn more from me? Check these out👇
🩺 (Free) How to Get into Medical School - From Application to Doctor: https://skl.sh/2TwpH0N
👨🏼💻 An Essay Writing Masterclass - The Best Essay Writing Technique: https://courses.kenjitomita.co.uk
🏥 My Online Medicine Interview Course: https://courses.kenjitomita.co.uk
📑 Study notes, my university personal statements, dissertation and more:https://www.kenjitomita.co.uk/shop
🛠 My favourite tools 🔨
📚 Listen to my favourite book of all time (or any other) free on Audible
🎒 My everyday and travel bag from Menos (use KENJI10 for 10% off)
📝 My favourite iPad screen protector: Paperlike