Little Victories

I'm toying with ideas for my personal statement for my surgery residency application; and I wanted to bounce this idea off my faithful readers.  Below is a rough draft of my introduction paragraph, and then it would be followed by a few examples of my 'little victories' (although I haven't picked which ones).  Read the intro, and leave us an example of your own 'little victories'!! It's fun to think back on the little victories that we are so proud of, but that anyone else would think is silly!

Throughout my academic career, my performance has been weighed and measured by exams and evaluations. While I’ve always been pleased with how others score me; at the end of the day, these aren’t the successes that I am most proud of. Reflecting on how I would measure my own worth, I find myself recalling silly, small accomplishments throughout my life in which I take great delight and pride. These little victories may seem odd- but I believe they offer the truest insight into my character, the depth of my passions and range of my natural inclinations.

Some of my favorite 'little victories' that still bring a smile to my face:

• Holding it together when I got malaria in Kenya; including carrying my own 50 lbs backpack to the hospital with me! (sorry mom and dad- I know that my-daughter-had-malaria stories alway make you  cringe!)
• Learning how to install a car radio in high school
• Setting any running goal, no matter how small, and then crushing it! (My proudest moment in the last 3 months was my first 3 miles under 30 minutes; which is what I consider my 'easy run' now- but at the time it was a BIG hurdle!)
• Playing and singing an original song that I wrote at an open mic night
• Amputating a patient's toe all by myself

Leave a 'little victory' of your own!  And if you need some inspiration, listen to Matt Nathanson's "Little Victories" aka my favorite song ever.