I wrote this post because I really had nothing much to do while waiting at the clinic. It took an hour for me to even see the doctor. I had a ton of mucus-infested tissue paper to prove I have the flu (and a fever to boot). This was when I started wondering if anyone who was in the queue actually died waiting for the doctor.

Not only did I run out of tissue paper (i brought along five packs of Watson’s Wallet tissues), I started dripping again and started to usurp the clinic’s Kleenex box. People were watching the Amazing Dripping Man stand up and cup his hands to prevent the ‘juice’ from hitting the floor.

After this ordeal, I realized that I probably could have recovered faster simply by spending that one hour just sleeping and recuperating at home. But nooo…. conventional wisdom tells you you have to see a doctor if you’re ill. Funny thing is this - I think by having long queues, it causes people to want to see that doctor even more (it’s called the Law of Social Proof, as seen in my recommendation on Cialdini’s Psychology of Influence). After all, you won’t want to see a doctor who has no customers. Maybe there’s something wrong!

Here are a couple of ‘profound’ thoughts that hit me as I sat down after my ordeal at the doctor’s.

  1. If you have to fall sick, take responsibility for it. It’s common knowledge that the flu bug hits you to test your resistance. If you haven’t been keeping your resistance levels high, it’s no wonder that the flu bug can hit you. It also is an interesting metaphor for me, that if things go bad, it’s really a sign that you ought to pay attention to yourself. After all, I can’t blame the flu bug for having attacked me - it’s there all the time, taking advantage of my security loophole. For things to change, you’ll have to change first.
  2. While waiting for things to happen, keep making things happen. The wait may have been long for me, but if I had chosen just to do nothing while I waited, I could have wasted time, left money on the table, and grown a little less than what I should have done.
  3. Being Prepared is NOT enough. No matter how many packs of tissue I bring out, it’s never going to be enough. The fact is, if there is a problem, you’ll have to deal with the root of the issue so that the problem doesn’t recur. That’s why instead of having truckloads of Kleenex, I knew that I needed the medication (my right lymph node on my neck was swelling and hurting - indication of bacterial infection).
  4. Take your FULL course. When someone tells you to do something and he has a higher probability of being right, do it! It’s like some people go to the doctor but end up not taking their full course of medicine. Same thing in life when you want to learn something, go the distance. Innovate. Develop new approaches. Then, your full course will have taught you something more than just the basics.
  5. Rest to fight another day. Don’t be too gung ho. It’s useful to take care of your body and your health, no matter how much money you are making. The doctor said if he’s sick, he tells his other partner to take over!

Thankfully, the worst is over, and I’m happily looking forward to my VIP event tonight with Alex Mandossian. Hope everything goes smoothly *fingers crossed*.