SACRIFICE NOW, SIT LATER…

Looking at 2023, I want to continue practices that have contributed to the person I am today and execute upon the foundations I built. The first five practices are rooted in discipline. I will continue these indefinitely. The second half are ambitions that I will accomplish in 2023 and continue into the future.

• Rising Early

Benjamin Franklin famously said, “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” Every self-help guru swears by the practice of rising and sleeping early. For good reason. Not only is there peer reviewed scientific literature that supports following our natural circadian rhythms, but for me it feels right (read Why We Sleep by Matt Walker if you’re interested). I’ve been playing around with sleep patterns for about a decade. I started waking up at 5 a.m. in middle school to get a workout in before getting the day started. I’ve also tried waking up at 3:45 a.m. and 7 a.m. to see how I feel after extended trial periods. At this stage in my life, I’ve settled for a 4:45 a.m. wake up which allows me to do some reading, meditate, and go to a 6:30 a.m. yoga class before heading to the laboratory at Stanford. In the past I’ve used quiet mornings for focused work; people can’t text you when they’re sleeping. Sleeping early requires discipline. At our age, most plans happen at night. In 30 years will I be wondering what my life could’ve been if I focused or will I be enjoying the life I built? Rising early will, for the foreseeable future, be part of my lifestyle.

• Prioritizing health

My health is the foundation of everything I do. A full night sleep is required for me to perform well both mentally and physically. I started to notice the connection between health and overall performance in high school. If my nutrition or sleep were off, I felt slower in the pool and performed worse in the classroom. I started to seriously prioritize my health after graduating from college. Intensive physical activity every day is a must. This comes in the form of running, hot yoga, lifting, and mountain biking. 

Proper sleep, nutrition, and hydration make it easier to practice discipline in other aspects of my life. People understand when I say: “I can’t go out tonight I have a workout planned in the morning” or simply “I’m just gonna rest”. Making the healthiest possible choices gives me more energy to focus on building the life I want. Taking care of my health today will hopefully give me the longevity to keep doing what I love long into the future.

• High quality social interactions

Time is the most valuable asset any of us have. Isn’t it better to prioritize the important people in our lives and cut out the noise? Building high quality relationships takes time, sure, but so does everything worth doing. Iron sharpens iron even if it’s hard to come by. 

• Increase Media-Free Time

Growing up in Silicon Valley the latest tech products and ways to consume media were always promoted. I remember watching the documentary Screenagers and thinking how big of a problem screen use and media consumption had become. That was 2016. After watching Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things and reading Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport, I came to the realization that I didn’t want to sell my time to enrich Silicon Valley tech companies. Time is priceless. Social Media and Legacy Media both change the ways we think. After signing up for Spotify, and then eventually switching to Apple Music, I found myself constantly consuming classics, the latest releases, or my favorite albums. It has become the norm to listen to music or podcasts in the shower, in the car, while on a walk etcetera. I don’t think we’re wired for constant consumption. This surely was impossible until the invention of recorded audio in 1888 - I think our brains need time without the constant flow of new information. By dedicating time without media, I have given myself more time to . . . get to know myself. 

This practice has allowed me to formulate plans for my future and reflect on the past. I will continue being intentional with what I consume and dedicate more time as media free in the future. As weird as it sounds, I am currently not listening to music. The first few days were extremely uncomfortable. I disconnected my phone from my car’s device list and deleted the music app from my phone (but kept the subscription). The discomfort is still there, but for now I think I’ll keep media consumption of all forms at a minimum, and only listen to music when with friends or at concerts. I’ll be waiting for another Drake tour.

• Financial discipline 

My financial life is governed by strict percentages and allocations. In short, it follows the discipline which has been a motif in my life so far. Reading The Phycology of Money by Morgan Housel and about a dozen other personal finance books have taught me several key lessons. Mainly discipline, consistency, and the simple magic of compound interest. Since 2020 I have been able to buy real estate every year, max out retirement accounts, invest in life insurance, and become extremely intentional about things worth spending on. Most of what I’ve learned isn’t taught in the school system which is a shame. I’m currently thinking of ways to get others interested in financial discipline. If you want to collaborate on a potential project, contact me. Let’s start in underserved communities.

• Not taking life so seriously

Looking forward to 2023, I want to start taking life less seriously. This may come as a surprise to those who know me; my entire lifestyle is based around calendar events and a strict routine. The control I have placed over my life has, for the most part, been beneficial. But it comes at a cost. This year I want to stick to the rigidity of my lifestyle but change my daily mindset. Instead of worrying about when things will happen, or the progress of projects, I’ll focus on enjoying the process. Deep down I enjoy the work I am doing and the projects I am involved in across multiple fields. I plan to do this my restarting my gratitude practice and comparing myself less to the progress of others. 

• Produce high impact science

Scientific Research is like a machine. It requires highly motivated individuals to work together and produce results which will transfer to literature and then the real world. Going forward I want to continue the work I am doing at Stanford, and take my research ambitions with me to the medical institution I chose. It is a privilege to develop high impact literature that can one day improve the lives of patients suffering from disease.

• Continuing my formal education as a medical student

Similarly, this year I want to continue my formal education as a medical student. Taking the research knowledge I am currently acquiring at Stanford, and combining that with a formal medical education will make me a compassionate, research based physician dedicated to treating and investigating diseases that affect specific patient populations.

• Continue to grow my network of likeminded people 

Continuing to grow my network of like-minded people is an evolution of my intention to prioritize high quality social interactions. Like I mentioned before, iron sharpens iron. This year I will continue to seek out people who challenge me to be the best version of myself and can introduce me to new practices, philosophies, and worldviews. Finding like-minded people is not an attempt to isolate myself from people who think differently. Instead, I want to learn from others who are extremely motivated in what they do.

• What would my 32-year-old self tell me today? 

Make the sacrifices now so you don’t have to in the future. It’s worth it.