New Year, Big Goals

Welcome to 2022! Whether 2021 was great for you or if it was a struggle, it’s over and we’ve got a brand new year ahead of us to focus on!

We’re a few days into the year now and maybe you’ve already laid out your goals for 2022. Or maybe you’ve been putting it off…if so, allow this post to serve as a kick in the behind to get on it!

A few years ago, I found this “Wheel of Life.” I can’t remember where I got it from in order to give somebody else the credit for it (I want to say it was on Noom, but I’m not sure) but I love it because all of the pieces of this wheel play a part in our overall happiness. Sometimes we put more into some of the pieces than others, sometimes we completely neglect some pieces. I think that when we can find a balance between them all, that’s when we’re living our best lives. Finding that balance is easier said than done, I know, but it’s definitely something to work towards.

Consider making goals related to one, several, or each of the pieces of the wheel for this year. You know I’m a fan of writing goals down, maybe you should do that…to help hold yourself accountable. I want you to be your best self, because your best self is what gets you a white coat with your sanity intact.

Family/Friends

You can’t isolate yourself completely on this pre-med journey…or in life. Meaning you can’t ignore your family members’ phones calls when they are just calling to check on you. Have you been doing this? If so, stop it! Yes, you need to put attention on your classes and responsibilities but all the people who love you won’t be here forever. Do you have a good mix of pre-med friends and non-pre-med friends? You can’t stay hunkered down in your room or the library and not socially interact with others (within reason with COVID, of course). Having a network of people around who care about us is important, they’re there to support us in our triumphs and in our disappointments. Take a minute to see what, if any, changes you need to make to strengthen your relationships with family and friends.

Significant Other/Romance

Now I’m not here to give relationship advice but take stock of where you fit in this boat. If you’re in a relationship, is it a healthy one? Is your significant other supportive of your goals and dreams? If not, let ‘em go friend! And sooner rather than later! Don’t take that baggage into medical school. Easier said than done, I know, but you need to consider it. Significant others should be supportive and should hold you down in tough times and celebrate you in good times. You shouldn’t have to spend more time worried about them and what they’re doing than you spend worrying about organic chemistry, that’s backwards. If you don’t have a significant other but are looking–good luck! Remember, you have to get out there to find them! But be careful how much time you spend looking…and where you look! Okay, that’s all on that—you’re grown, do what you want.

Fun & Recreation

Being pre-med is tough. Between classes, service, shadowing, research, and all the other things you have to do to be a strong applicant, it’s important that you take some time for yourself to kick it a little bit. Now don’t overdo it but be sure to have some fun. I wouldn’t want you to get to your long white coat and look back and not have any fun stories and memories. Have you been missing out on fun or, worse, having too much fun and your transcript reflects that?? Make an appropriate goal for 2022 related to this.

Health

Your physical and mental health are important. Take a little bit of time to really honestly evaluate where you are in both areas. If one isn’t where it needs to be, make it a point to focus your attention there in this year. I beg you to please make a goal related to self-care this year!

Money

Setting financial goals as a student may be tough, but is still important. If you’re working, you should be saving some of that check in a rainy-day fund. You should also be careful that you’re not taking out crazy amounts of student loans to fund activities or products that aren’t necessary. So getting a Tesla should not be on your list of goals for 2022, that’s silly. Medical school is expensive and debt is real! Start now being smart about how you think about money.

Personal Growth

We all need to grow. I’m gonna leave this one right here for you to make the goal that works best for you to push you towards becoming the person you want to be and the person you should be.

Physical Environment

You probably can’t physically pick up and move to a new city or state in the middle of college…or maybe you can, or maybe you need to. Do you need to be closer to, or farther away from, home in order to do better in school? If you don’t need to move, consider making goals about how to make your current environment work better for you. Do you have goals of getting a new apartment, relocating to another area of town? Maybe you need to get (or get rid of) a roommate? Or maybe you want to get a car (an affordable one) so you can actually see the environment around you! Or do you just need a quick change of scenery for the weekend every now and then? Think about these things and decide if there is something about your current physical environment that, if changed, would make you more complete. If so, make it a goal to make that change this year.

Career

Our shared goal for you is, of course, is to get that white coat and have a long, successful career in medicine. Right?!? You didn’t go home over the holidays and change your mind about that, did you? Consider making small and large goals. Write them down and refer to them often so you don’t lose sight of what you’re working towards!

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The wheel that I found a few years ago was just something I thought would be helpful as you consider goals. This list is certainly not all-inclusive but hopefully it was enough to get you started on the path of making some goals for the new year.

Feel free to share any comments or questions below or you can always send me an email. I love to hear from you all!