Don't let your expectations dry one's chances

I feel sad in knowing that the moment someone takes birth, the heap of expectations start piling up. Initially the lion’s share of expectations comes from the parents and the family, then from the teachers and friends, then from the calls of your professional world, then from your spouse and so on. Life can be hard if you don’t attempt to find your own call. Its just one life; would you consider it nice to be told what are you good at, your, rather, what activity or profession you must enjoy? 

I believe when you carry others’ expectations or dreams rather maniacally, you are being dishonest to yourself, and to the cause of your own life. If you seek others’ thoughts for you to be in the driving seat of your life, you are being infidel to your own mind that contains a mish-mash of your own thoughts. Don’t suppress them to the extent of getting asphyxiated. Help them see the light of the day; they are in the pool of universe of some reason, and it lies in your prerogative to decipher the reason and lead your thoughts to their destinies.

It gives me goose thrill to see a young doctor in my hospital customizing the HTML code of his tumblr, to see a nurse giving extremely apt financial consultations to the people in her vicinity, and to see the chef-in-chief of the hospital acting like an electronics wizard when one or the other equipment went berserk. Life is all about possibilities, and the more you see the more you believe in. The moment you stop exploring your environment, and your own inner self, you defy the whole purpose of existence. To get hurt should be a matter of conscious choice; to feel happy must come naturally to you. I am lucky as I see myself completely fit in my profession; I could never have gained this much satisfaction in anything else.

Even while I am not at work I think like a doctor; I miss my surgical equipment; I miss the whiff of freshly fumigated operation theatre; I miss seeing the faces of my patients; I miss instructing my patients about their diseases; I miss the plebian, yet so rejuvenating, daily chores of my life as a doctor. Performing a surgery or treating a patient never comes as a work to me. It is rather being at no work; my profession makes me feel at ease. At times I feel that I don’t work at all; all I do is just to live my life the way I always wanted to. Cakes and ale come at a good price in life; I was just fortunate that I loved my profession, and in a way excelled in it, but not every person is as blessed.

10 tips for attending a conference

Know the program schedule completely. It would help you in fashioning your expectations in a perceptive way. Only if you are well aware of the detailed program schedule, you can know what academic preparation you need beforehand to actively participate.

Select the sessions that you think would be most productive in your perspective. There is no point being there at the talks which are of no, absolute or relative, use to you.

Make is a point to get the basic idea about the conference probable participants. You may catch up with someone you have been looking forward to meet since long. It is always advisable to attend a conference with one of your colleagues; it would not just add you a company, but also help you in thin-slicing the essence of the sessions.

Try to be there for the entire duration of the conference. It doesn’t appear gentle when you attend a conference on the last day and come out with the certificate in your hands. A conference is a group effort to make progress for a vital cause; make your contribution by lending keen ears and wide pupils.

Carry a bag with you that contains a notepad, few pens and may be some hand books. Of course, you would be provided a kit, as soon as you settle down in your seat, with all the essential tools right in place to help you making notes; but then why to take a chance? I feel a lot of people feel best in holding their own pens, scribbling down in their own notepads.

Keep a check on your behavior. Don’t sound standoffish. Behave cordially and display a keen and pleasant personality. You have the power to make someone’s day. Ask pertinent questions and get involved in rendering replies.

Make it a point to know the route directions a day prior to the actual conference day. Eat light the night before and sleep sound. Aim to keep your concentration levels high the coming day.

Keep your business cards with you. In a conference a lot of professional people meet and business cards exchange hands. I remember I was in Boston few years back in SLS (Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgery) Conference, and I exhausted my reserve of business cards. It was not one of the best sights to watch me writing my contact details on small white sheets, provided by the conference coordinator.

Take a keen interest in conference materials (CDs, books, products) that are kept for purchase. Roam around the stalls with intuitive mind. You might find something extremely productive for your profession right there; always keep a budget for such expenses.

Don’t forget to thank the people around who made this conference possible. The high and mighty, the successful subordinates, the amateurish interns, and the people who had been serving you with snacks – all deserve an equal bow.