I bet you didn’t realize that you’re an endurance athlete. That’s what you’re doing in school. It’s test of will, like running a marathon or climbing El Capitan. It’s a mind game, first and foremost
So… I like to learn from the best.
David Blaine has performed some amazing feats of willpower and endurance. Essentially, that’s what he gets paid to do.
Here’s a short list of his “accomplishments”:
• On April 5, 1999, Blaine was entombed in an underground plastic box underneath a 3-ton water-filled tank for seven days,
• On November 27, 2000, he was encased in a box of ice for 63 hours, 42 minutes and 15 seconds before being removed with chainsaws.
• On May 22, 2002, Blaine stood on a pillar 100 feet high and 22 inches wide. He was not harnessed. He remained on the pillar for 35 hours.
• On September 5, 2003, Blaine began an endurance stunt in which he was sealed inside a transparent Plexiglas case. The case was suspended 30 feet in the air and measured 3 feet by 7 feet by 7 feet. The stunt lasted 44 days, during which Blaine drank 1.2 US gallons of water per day and did not eat.
The guy is able to control himself and his body in amazing ways. You are, right now, an endurance artist. Getting hit with that firehouse of information day after day is an endurance challenge. The material is hard, but it’s handling all of it that is the real trick.
I came across an interview with Blaine where he’s talking about his training. He puts a lot of emphasis on specific training – breath holding etc. – but one thing that jumped out at me was something he does all the time for years which has built himself up.
I’m paraphrasing here, but the gist of it was that he keeps promises to himself. Little, tiny, nonsense promises. When he goes for a run, if there’s a bike lane, he has to step on the head of all the biker images on the road. He can’t miss even one. And lots of other things like that. I can’t think of the other examples he used but let me give you two big ones I use:
(1) Make your bed every morning.
(2) Get up when your alarm clock goes off the first time.
These two are useful for other reasons, but keeping these promises builds confidence in yourself to do the things you say you will do. Even if they are small and ridiculous.
Every night before bed I’m going to stack a pyramid of 10 paper cups on the table. Why?? Maybe if it’s nonsensical, it’s even be more valuable.
I’ll test it and see.
Speaking of value, I just received this line in an email from another happy PA-C.
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I used your Final Step book to prepare for my PANRE this time last year and I honestly believe it was the best investment I made for preparing for my boards.
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Pretty high praise for such a little book.
Brian Wallace
P.S. If you’re willing to run a group order for your classmates, I can offer a significant discount on The Final Step. Shipping is a huge part of the cost, and group orders are much cheaper to ship. You don’t need to set up the whole group – you just need to be willing to let people know about the discount.
If you’re interested, hit reply and I’ll send you the details.