Being a "pre-med" comes with a range of reactions: people might think you're naturally intelligent, they might think you're in it for the money and prestige, or they might even think you're simply doing what your parents ask of you. However, these are only the expectations placed on us by other people. There is an even greater, inescapable concern, which comes from within one's own insecurities -- never feeling like you're enough.

The path to becoming a physician is a long one, and can vary from person to person. In such a competitive field that demands the best students, it makes sense to set extremely high expectations for oneself. But the expectations are endless… and you can never feel satisfied. Because the fact is even being enough does not guarantee you acceptance intro medical school. Being more than enough is simply what gets you to the table. This can hang over our heads without us realizing it.

This feeling can consume you if you don't have the right people around you. Supportive family and friends make all the difference. If I did not have the few important people in my life to support me, I would have given up a long time ago. We create the biggest obstacle ourselves, and this barrier my mind creates only makes me feel more guilty for not achieving success. It feels worse knowing I am adding more stress and self-doubt.

To those of you on this journey, I implore you to turn around and look back rather than forward for once, and see how far you've come. See how much you have achieved, all of these things were once something you thought you could never do. What seems impossible and unattainable now has its place in the future for you, it's not going anywhere. So take your time in enjoying where you are in this moment, in knowing that you are enough.