The experience of being ill can be like waking up in a foreign country. Life, as you formerly knew it, is on hold while you travel through this other world as unknown as it is unexpected. When I see patients in the hospital or in my office who are suddenly, surprisingly ill, what they really want to know is, What is wrong with me? They want a road map that will help them manage their new surroundings. The ability to give this unnerving and unfamiliar place a name, to know it on some level, restores a measure of control, independent of whether or not that diagnosis comes attached to a cure. Because, even today, a diagnosis is frequently all a good doctor has to offer. A healthy young man suddenly loses his memory, making him unable to remember the events of each passing hour. Two patients diagnosed with Lyme disease improve after antibiotic treatment, only to have their symptoms mysteriously return. A young woman lies dying in the ICU, bleeding, jaundiced, incoherent, and none of her doctors know what is killing her.
Lisa Sanders, MD
The doctor behind the "House"
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Open your mind and see the world in a new way
I graduated from college just three years ago, so the confusion and anxiety I felt after graduating college is still quite fresh in my mind. I moved out of my parents' house a week after graduation and started at my new job, and since then I have learned a lot of things about the "real world". Here are some of my best advice for new graduates who are transitioning from the safe structured environment of school to a seemingly infinitely larger world.
Learn to manage your money - It does not matter how much money you rake in if you do not know how to manage it and make it grow. You can learn about personal finance by going to the library or reading the great personal finance blogs such as this one. Everyone has a different money management style, but the bottom line I adhere to is to not spend more than I can afford. Basically, live below your means and you will always have something to fall back on.
Work towards financial independence - I would have said "save for retirement now", but when I heard the word retirement at age 22 I figured it was 40 years away and I had plenty time to prepare. Now I know that I do not want to plod along for another 40 years , but I want to be financially free much sooner. I am sure most of you do not want to be bossed around for another 40 to 45 years, so mark the date you will be free and work towards it by saving, investing, or building a business.
Explore the world around you - I wish that I had taken a year off after graduating and just traveled around the world. In the last three years I did have the opportunity to go to remote areas of Southern China, and I was amazed by how diverse my own country is. I truly believe that traveling and seeing how others live give you perspective and insight into how to live your life. Once you are settled down with young children it would not be as easy to run away to the end of the world for a long time. You do not need too much money to explore and travel. For example, David DeFranza wrote a great article about exploring your own world by walking .
Keep in touch - Since graduating many of my best friends have scattered around the world. It is tough to keep track of everyone, but a few emails and an occassional phone call keep us in contact with each other so when there are times we could see each other again we can meet up. I think keeping friends is always better than losing them.
Build new relationships - I think many new college graduates feel the pain of loneliness when they leave school and move into a place far away from friends and family. Like I said before, most of my old friends are no longer near by. So this is a great time to build new relationships. I found a couple roommates when I just graduated so I would not be so lonely. Then I joined a great church and found new friends. Making friends is not as easy when you get out of school, but it is possible, and somewhat essential for your sanity.
Never stop learning - School is out, but there is a lifetime of learning ahead of you. Now you can take the art class you never had time for in college or you could read about the newest web technologies. You can learn just about anything you want without worrying about tests and grades and you can Learn from everyone and everything around you. With the wonders of the internet, you can even follow along courses from some of the top universities in the world .
Stay active - When I was in school I walked everywhere and took physical education classes to stay active, but now I am working and my lifestyle has become extremely sedentary. It is important to stay fit and be healthy because whatever you produce and earn comes from your body and mind. Staying healthy lets you enjoy life much more and you can save money on healthcare in the long run.
Always be on the lookout for better opportunities - Face it, for most of us, our first jobs are not our dream jobs . So do not be afraid to move on to a better opportunity. Usually the better opportunities do not just fall into your lap, so it does not hurt to constantly search for what you really want to do. If you want to be your own boss, quitting a crappy job and starting your own business is a lot easier when you are young and do not have to support others with your income.
Talk to your parents - Both my husband and I found that after college our relationships with our parents got a lot better since we became independent from them. Our teenage angst was all gone and now we know that our parents are probably our best allies in life. I know every family is different, but the time after college is a great time to show your maturity to your parents or former guardians. Talk to them as adults, and ask to be treated like an adult if they do not do so already, and your relationships may improve.
Give back - I think all of us have a human duty to give back to the world and make it a better place to live for everyone. You do not necessarily have to donate large amounts of money to charities, but you could do small things like planting a tree, or even save energy. Every small gesture that benefits the environment and others will also benefit you and your children.
Finally, do not be discouraged if these years right after graduation are difficult and you feel like you are in a crisis. It is normal to feel bewildered by a completely different lifestyle. You are young, and you have time to figure out what makes you happy and what works for you. Have fun, and never give up on improving your life and yourself.
WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD
wisebread.com
Learn to manage your money - It does not matter how much money you rake in if you do not know how to manage it and make it grow. You can learn about personal finance by going to the library or reading the great personal finance blogs such as this one. Everyone has a different money management style, but the bottom line I adhere to is to not spend more than I can afford. Basically, live below your means and you will always have something to fall back on.
Work towards financial independence - I would have said "save for retirement now", but when I heard the word retirement at age 22 I figured it was 40 years away and I had plenty time to prepare. Now I know that I do not want to plod along for another 40 years , but I want to be financially free much sooner. I am sure most of you do not want to be bossed around for another 40 to 45 years, so mark the date you will be free and work towards it by saving, investing, or building a business.
Explore the world around you - I wish that I had taken a year off after graduating and just traveled around the world. In the last three years I did have the opportunity to go to remote areas of Southern China, and I was amazed by how diverse my own country is. I truly believe that traveling and seeing how others live give you perspective and insight into how to live your life. Once you are settled down with young children it would not be as easy to run away to the end of the world for a long time. You do not need too much money to explore and travel. For example, David DeFranza wrote a great article about exploring your own world by walking .
Keep in touch - Since graduating many of my best friends have scattered around the world. It is tough to keep track of everyone, but a few emails and an occassional phone call keep us in contact with each other so when there are times we could see each other again we can meet up. I think keeping friends is always better than losing them.
Build new relationships - I think many new college graduates feel the pain of loneliness when they leave school and move into a place far away from friends and family. Like I said before, most of my old friends are no longer near by. So this is a great time to build new relationships. I found a couple roommates when I just graduated so I would not be so lonely. Then I joined a great church and found new friends. Making friends is not as easy when you get out of school, but it is possible, and somewhat essential for your sanity.
Never stop learning - School is out, but there is a lifetime of learning ahead of you. Now you can take the art class you never had time for in college or you could read about the newest web technologies. You can learn just about anything you want without worrying about tests and grades and you can Learn from everyone and everything around you. With the wonders of the internet, you can even follow along courses from some of the top universities in the world .
Stay active - When I was in school I walked everywhere and took physical education classes to stay active, but now I am working and my lifestyle has become extremely sedentary. It is important to stay fit and be healthy because whatever you produce and earn comes from your body and mind. Staying healthy lets you enjoy life much more and you can save money on healthcare in the long run.
Always be on the lookout for better opportunities - Face it, for most of us, our first jobs are not our dream jobs . So do not be afraid to move on to a better opportunity. Usually the better opportunities do not just fall into your lap, so it does not hurt to constantly search for what you really want to do. If you want to be your own boss, quitting a crappy job and starting your own business is a lot easier when you are young and do not have to support others with your income.
Talk to your parents - Both my husband and I found that after college our relationships with our parents got a lot better since we became independent from them. Our teenage angst was all gone and now we know that our parents are probably our best allies in life. I know every family is different, but the time after college is a great time to show your maturity to your parents or former guardians. Talk to them as adults, and ask to be treated like an adult if they do not do so already, and your relationships may improve.
Give back - I think all of us have a human duty to give back to the world and make it a better place to live for everyone. You do not necessarily have to donate large amounts of money to charities, but you could do small things like planting a tree, or even save energy. Every small gesture that benefits the environment and others will also benefit you and your children.
Finally, do not be discouraged if these years right after graduation are difficult and you feel like you are in a crisis. It is normal to feel bewildered by a completely different lifestyle. You are young, and you have time to figure out what makes you happy and what works for you. Have fun, and never give up on improving your life and yourself.
WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD
wisebread.com
Monday, May 10, 2010
The world belongs to the brave
"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one." --Mark Twain
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The best physician is also a philosopher.
To be great, a surgeon must have a fierce determination to be the leader in his field. He must have a driving ego, a hunger beyond money. He must have a passion for perfectionism. He is like the actor who wants his name in lights.
The superior doctor prevents sickness; The mediocre doctor attends to impending sickness; The inferior doctor treats actual sickness.
The person most often late for a doctor's appointment is the doctor himself.
Physicians are rather like undescended testicles, they are difficult to locate and when they are found, they are pretty ineffective.
Often the confidence of the patient in his physician does more for the cure of his disease than the physician with all his remedies.
No physician is really good before he has killed one or two patients.
No physician is really good before he has killed one or two patients.
Medicine is a science, acquiring a practice an art.
Life is short, the Art long, opportunity fleeting, experience treacherous, judgment difficult. The physician must be ready, not only to do his duty himself, but also to secure the co-operation of the patient, of the attendants and of externals.
Let the young know they will never find a more interesting, more instructive book than the patient himself.
It is a mathematical fact that fifty percent of all doctors graduate in the bottom half of their class.
If popular medicine gave the people wisdom as well as knowledge, it would be the best protection for scientific and well-trained physicians.
I wondher why ye can always read a doctor's bill an' ye niver can read his purscription.
Doctors are just the same as lawyers; the only difference is that lawyers merely rob you, whereas doctors rob you and kill you, too.
A physician is someone who knows everything and does nothing.
A surgeon is someone who does everything and knows nothing.
A psychiatrist is someone who knows nothing and does nothing.
A pathologist is someone who knows everything and does everything too late.
A physician is an unfortunate gentleman who is every day required to perform a miracle; namely to reconcile health with intemperance.
A doctor is the only man who can suffer from good health.
I don't dawdle. I'm a surgeon. I make an incision, do what needs to be done and sew up the wound. There is a beginning, a middle, and an end.
The superior doctor prevents sickness; The mediocre doctor attends to impending sickness; The inferior doctor treats actual sickness.
The person most often late for a doctor's appointment is the doctor himself.
Physicians are rather like undescended testicles, they are difficult to locate and when they are found, they are pretty ineffective.
Often the confidence of the patient in his physician does more for the cure of his disease than the physician with all his remedies.
No physician is really good before he has killed one or two patients.
No physician is really good before he has killed one or two patients.
Medicine is a science, acquiring a practice an art.
Life is short, the Art long, opportunity fleeting, experience treacherous, judgment difficult. The physician must be ready, not only to do his duty himself, but also to secure the co-operation of the patient, of the attendants and of externals.
Let the young know they will never find a more interesting, more instructive book than the patient himself.
It is a mathematical fact that fifty percent of all doctors graduate in the bottom half of their class.
If popular medicine gave the people wisdom as well as knowledge, it would be the best protection for scientific and well-trained physicians.
I wondher why ye can always read a doctor's bill an' ye niver can read his purscription.
Doctors are just the same as lawyers; the only difference is that lawyers merely rob you, whereas doctors rob you and kill you, too.
A physician is someone who knows everything and does nothing.
A surgeon is someone who does everything and knows nothing.
A psychiatrist is someone who knows nothing and does nothing.
A pathologist is someone who knows everything and does everything too late.
A physician is an unfortunate gentleman who is every day required to perform a miracle; namely to reconcile health with intemperance.
A doctor is the only man who can suffer from good health.
I don't dawdle. I'm a surgeon. I make an incision, do what needs to be done and sew up the wound. There is a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Another side of me
Quisera ser | I would love to be ...
Spanish pop music includes romance, excitement and has some amazing Spanish singers. When I watch music programs on Spanish TV I'm totally in awe at the maturity of the singers voices and their style of delivery. They will fill your heart with joy and their music scene is one of the best in Europe.
http://lyricstranslate.com/de/Alejandro-Sanz-lyrics.html
http://www.valencia-tourist-travel-guide.com/music-of-spain.html
and if you want more
Spanish pop music includes romance, excitement and has some amazing Spanish singers. When I watch music programs on Spanish TV I'm totally in awe at the maturity of the singers voices and their style of delivery. They will fill your heart with joy and their music scene is one of the best in Europe.
http://lyricstranslate.com/de/Alejandro-Sanz-lyrics.html
http://www.valencia-tourist-travel-guide.com/music-of-spain.html
and if you want more
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