age is but a number

sorry!! been super slacking these days in the frequency of posts. but i guess it's a good thing b/c that must mean i've found more meaningful activities to busy myself with.

2012's still going strong-- some days i look at the calendar (i try not to), but it shocks me that we're already going strong into March, which means the nearing of closing out Q1 2012 already. where has the time gone?! seems like yesterday i was just closing books on 2011. it also means that we are less than 3 months away to my 24th birthday!

the mid-twenties may seem shockingly old for those of us entering, but let me put this into perspective for you: 24 is still not quarter century yet, and compared to the US population, approx. 65% of the population is still older than 24. (this statistic is calculated according to the U.S. Census Bureau reporting about 203,892,000 people age 25 and above, and the current U.S. population at about 311 million.)

but perhaps these numbers justify why i sometimes feel so insecure about my age, especially professionally. most of the time, it isn't because i dread my aging, but rather, i wished i was old-ER. i hate disclosing my age because it IS young, and youth is largely frowned upon professionally. yesterday, my coworker asked me how old i was. when i told her, she exclaimed, "oh, my goodness! you're only 23?! i thought you were older!" while some might take that as a compliment, i detest hearing that phrase. my coworkers and patients frequently inquire about my age, and there's no way to get around it without lying, which leaves one solution: they realize that i'm young enough to be their granddaughter. as soon as the words "twenty-three" leave my lips, i feel like all credibility and authority i hold in my profession leaves me.

after all, what do i know, right? i don't blame them-- they've lived long enough to see almost 3 cycles of my lifespan (and even more). but i really dislike being young these days. i cringe when i hear older people tell younger people that their youthful dreams are unrealistically big. what's wrong with thinking big? not that they'll necessarily ever reach it, but if they do, the fact that they have such a desire to work hard... more power to them!

let's take it one step further: i greatly respect those who have worked in healthcare for 40 or 50+ years and have a wealth of industry expertise and knowledge. perhaps several have become jaded because they have not "resolved" the healthcare crisis in this nation, and will tell the next generation that the problem is complex and not as easy as we think. but i'd like to argue that the older generation has taken many great steps towards improving the system, whether through their research or professionally. the results may not be tangible, but they're there. they've given the younger generation a higher platform to work off of. so why discourage us? i beg you to encourage us to continue chasing after those dreams! because one day, when enough generations have built platforms, we'll reach the final destination.

if we don't think you can, then we will never achieve. that's the hindrance in realizing potential. but i'd like to believe that as long as you think there is even the slightest chance, the possibilities are endless, and as you keep trying to push on doors, i believe that they will-- eventually-- open.