To Be

Yesterday we had a guest lecturer in Ortho III Spine class. The guest walks to the front of the room and we all scramble to get our notes ready. Some of the lectures are interesting, some are repetitive, and some seem to be a waste of time. This guest speaker, an orthopedic surgeon of almost 30 years, tell us he is going to begin by lecturing to us about life.

My ears are open. Anytime someone smarter than I, and that is almost everyone, has something to tell me about life- I am in.
Here is what he starts with. Listen closely.

TO BE, AND NOT TO SEEM

To live a life of excellence, we must be- not seem to be something. Do it, be it, live it. Don't pretend.

TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, BE GOOD AT WHAT YOU DO.

Oooohh. I liked this one too. His point being- confidence is not a feeling. It is molded through striving for excellence and never settling for mediocrity. So, to believe in yourself...be excellent, not mediocre.

To be an excellent student at anything in life, the keys are ATTENTION and REPETITION. Pay full attention when someone is teaching you something. That takes discipline, especially when it seems boring. Then repeat the lesson, over and over. He said if you only get the main idea of complicated things or lessons and don't put in the extra time to really learn all of the details, you are cheating yourself to mediocrity. There is no way you can ever truly believe in yourself if you never take the extra effort to be great, be an expert, be excellent.

There were only 2 out of 49 students taking notes on this, and the other student was an older student like me. This lecture said more to me than anything I have heard in school in quite a while. Have I settled for mediocrity in some things? You bet. Have I seemed to be something rather than actually be? Yes. Do I pay attention and perform repitition? Not enough.

I found I had a lot to think about after hearing this surgeon speak not just on spines, but on the path to success he has taken in his life. I hope this gives you some food for thought and some inspiration to strive for excellence this weekend.


Here are some roses from our garden in the backyard- from me to you! Have a great weekend!