24 lessons and 24 years young
This year, I turned 24 years old in Taiwan – another city that became home, another chapter of adapting to change, growing, and finding community. I never expected to be here, but it was a result of change. This past year, I truly embraced the idea that the only constant in life is change. I even quoted this during my medical school interview resulting in an acceptance lol. My interviewers all nodded in agreement. And with change comes with many lessons to be learned, mistakes to be made, challenges to endure, and experiences to grow from. Here are 24 lessons I learned this past year to celebrate being 24 years young.
Attitude follows behavior. Action defeats anxiety.
Life is not a dress rehearsal.
Communication transcends beyond language itself – it encapsulates body language, facial expressions, laughter, kindness, compassion, and more.
People enter and exit your life to serve some purpose in your life – whether to teach you a lesson, broaden your view with a new perspective, or share a meaningful moment.
The power of intentionality. Something I continue to ground myself in as I navigate my relationship with myself and others.
The older I become, the more I crave for introspective conversations with depth. I realize how essential it is to be surrounded by those who will challenge me to reflect and be present.
I sometimes struggle with delayed gratification, especially when pursuing medicine. But, I have learned to counter these feelings with patience and giving myself grace.
Health is wealth. The best investment to yourself is your physical and mental well-being.
The beauty of authenticity -- as seen as practicing self-love and fostering self-confidence to embrace who you are.
You are the main character when you believe that you are and act like so because others will then see you through that lens.
Being in your 20’s means feeling lost in navigating the different facets of life (relationships, career, etc.) against what others expect from you. I realized that often times, everyone is encapsulated by their own insecurities to worry about yours. It can be liberating to come to terms and carve your own path of discovering what it means to feel content in your life.
Betty taught me that friendships form from shared values, interest, or experiences.
Coming to Taiwan has reminded me of how much I value community, service, and connections, and I’m so lucky to have met like-minded friends that share these values.
Self-doubt can be your worst enemy. Sometimes, you need a support system that uplift you, even when you don’t believe in yourself.
Love means finding companionship that feels like home – being willing to compromise and always wanting what’s best for them.
Since working with teenagers, their youthfulness has taught me to reframe how I see life through the lens of my inner child. And there’s something so wonderful to view and experience life with joy, simplicity, and curiosity.
Friendships can take all shapes and forms because there’s something beautiful about cultivating connections with those from different backgrounds, ages, and experiences. For example, I never imagined working with a 72 year old physician, who would become my mentor, friend, and a second father. As a result, I was spoiled with all his life wisdom and shaping how I approach life itself.
It is possible for family relationships to change for the better in unexpected ways.
Living at home meant understanding my parents as people and how their experiences shapes their views and beliefs. This led to redefining my relationship with them by being patient.
This year, I rediscovered my love traveling and how it makes me feel alive. When I explore new places, I find my curiosity for people to be a driving force to understand how their experiences have shaped them into the person they are today.
Names foster connections. I lost track of how many people pointed out that I often address others by name and how that made them feel. I think it is my subconscious wanting people to feel seen and heard.
This year, I learned how to adapt to change and reframe change as something that isn't scary, rather something that is exciting and liberating for what is to come.
My life motto: seek discomfort and become comfortable with the uncomfortable.
The world is so beautiful, and there are so many new places to explore and new friendships to cultivate.
Being 23 years old may have been one of the most significant years yet — gained mentorship from Dr. Jansen, who believed in me when I didn't believe in myself, received an acceptance to my top medical school, loved my job with Dr. J and Ed at the Sports Medicine Clinic, cared for patients with empathy, moved abroad to Taiwan, created a new life in Taipei, found communities that makes me feel so content, fostered new friendships in Taiwan where it feels like being reunited with old friends, learned (and still learning) what it means to be an effective teacher and role model, reclaimed a sense of youthfulness from my students, redefined my relationships with my family, cared for my grandma while reconnecting with my Vietnamese-American identity, reevaluated old friendships back home and prioritizing those encourages growth even when our paths diverge, rediscovered self-confidence through prioritizing fitness and building strength, and unexpectedly found myself in a relationship that makes me feel content in their companionship.
So here's to another year around the sun with new lessons to be learned. :)
Sweet friends on a yacht hehe
