Last week I found myself in an awkward predicament. I was driving into work mindlessly like I do every day until I came to the on-ramp for the highway and it was closed. My first thought was, “no big deal I’ll turn around and grab the northbound ramp from the other direction.” As I drove past my heart sank a little as I saw a pile of rubble where the ramp had been — literally rubble. I needed a new plan.
The problem is that this on-ramp is the last one before the highway crosses a major river. I could either head North for 10 minutes along the river and take the next bridge up or drive 5 minutes West to the next exit and get on the highway there. I went with option number two.
Ok, five minutes up and five minutes back I’m cruising along the highway. No worries. A little later than I want to be, but doing ok. I cross the river smooth as can be and then I see it up ahead. Traffic! Traffic at 6:30 AM is unheard of where I am. There’s an accident, and a four-lane highway goes down to one pretend lane using the shoulder. A few minutes pass, and I squeeze on by, and I’m on my way.
Here’s the interesting part. I wasn’t one bit angry, not one bit upset, not one bit thinking poor me. I was thinking that it was an incredible coincidence, but that’s it. Do you know why? Margin.
I left earlier enough that both delays didn’t affect me. I was at work in plenty of time for my morning case. Had I try to cut it razor-thin and left just on time or a little late I’d have been furious. Instead, it didn’t matter at all. The same thing happens with your finances. If you’re running it right up to (or well beyond) the edge if ANYTHING goes wrong, you’re in big trouble, but if you have a little margin, a little breathing room, it’s fine.
Lawnmower dies, no big deal. Dryer dies no big deal. It isn’t fun, but it’s ok. You don’t panic and rush out and add to your credit card bill if you have five hundred or a thousand dollars in a savings account.
That little bit o margin goes a long way.
Well, guess what Starla your brain works the same way. You need a little margin, a little space in that brain of yours. If you’re redlining it 24/7 then your already the littlest pebble can throw you off a cliff. I’ve seen a lot of would-be entrepreneurs wind up in the hospital from ignoring the warning signs, and students are no different. I was talking to a guy who runs a clinic at a university, and he’s floored by how the number of patients he sees has been steadily and dramatically climbing.
Cortisol is a silent killer. You’ve got to keep it under control. Keep that brain function in tip top shape. I could teach you all there is to know about medicine, but if your vessel is cracked and sinking it won’t matter one bit. What’s worse is that you don’t even know the hulls got a crack. You haven’t even taken the time to look.
The September issue of Physician Assistant Exam Scholar’s Newsletter is going to show you how to keep that brain of yours flying down the highway. I’m going to show you how to get more done in LESS time than anyone in your class. I’m going to show you how I do it so that you can stay sane. But you must order before August 31st. And no matter how far away that deadline is I get a handful of people who reach out to me and say “please, please, please, I missed it because I was… washing my hair….out of the country… on a long distance rotation…. grocery shopping until midnight because my check just came … blah blah blah.”
The first thing I do on the first of the month when I wake up is send everything over to the printer. ( I get up very early) Once I do that it’s gone. Include a little margin this time, join today. Click below.
Physician Assistant Exam Scholar’s Newsletter
Brian Wallace