The closest frame of reference I have similar to the situation/adversity facing today was when I entered middle school. Where I grew up there five elementary schools, four were for the “average” students and one for the “gifted” students. There was only one middle school. All of the gifted students were placed in advanced classes. I was fortunate to be one of the few from the average school to place in advanced classes. After the first month of class, I received my first “C+” ever and it was in English. I was sick to my stomach and holding back tears. I told my teacher Mrs. Eaves that I was sick and went to the principal’s office to call my parents. I balled my eyes out while I waited for them partly due to fear of my parents finding out I scored low, and partly because I was disappointed in myself. When my parents arrived, they kept asking me what was wrong, but I stayed silent. Your have to understand I come from a culture where getting a 99% meant that there was 1% room for improvement. When I returned to school the next day I was determined to never feel like that again. I worked hard, completed all my assignments on time, and took every chance I could for extra-credit. Mrs. Eaves would task me with getting her mail and other small tasks. Everyone would just say I was the “teachers pet”, but I didn’t think anything of it. Despite all my hard work, I still ended the school year with “B” in English. Growing up in a bilingual household was tough, trust me trying to explain the movie “Inception “ in Urdu to my grandpa was insane. At the end of year awards ceremony as I watched many of my friends get awards for science, math, social studies, ENGLISH, etc. I felt sad because the chances of me getting an award were slim. Mrs. Eaves comes on stage and presents the last award before she announces recipient or subject she explained that the award was the most important and has only given it out twice in her career. The room was silent because she goes into depth about its importance and meaning, but to be honest, I was scratching my head because all the smart kids in the class had already received their award. Then I hear my name and presents me with his “Mr Dependability” award and I just ecstatic. Not because of what the award meant, but just the fact I got an award. From that year on, I used that motivation and I pushed harder and harder eventually ending each year with awards in math, science, or social studies. I kept in touch with Mrs. Eaves throughout the years and she came to my wedding. At my wedding, I asked her why she gave me that award and was it just a consolation prize. She told me that when her father passed away, I was the only student to come up to her and console her and it eased her day. I do not even remember what I said or even that her father passed away. She said that she had not seen that level of maturity in any sixth grader. Dependable person is reliable, responsible, and trustworthy. In the world of Information Technology, dependability is a characteristic of Soft skills. “Soft skills is a term often associated with a person’s “EQ” (Emotional Intelligence Quotient), the cluster of personality traits, social graces, communication, language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism that characterize relationships with other people. Soft skills complement hard skills which are the occupational requirements of a job and many other activities. They are related to feelings, emotions, insights and (some would say) an ‘inner knowing’: i.e. they provide an important complement to ‘hard skills’ and IQ.” I realize know that being a good doctor requires hard skills and being a nice guy is not going to cure them, but if can reconcile my strengths and weaknesses, there is hope. I value each and every member involved in this residency program and am committed to doing whatever it takes to meet the competencies required to be a family physician. I appreciate all the time put into my evaluation and training. Things got off to a slow start and I wish I could hit the reset button, but I am looking forward to how to successfully achieve my goal of being a family doctor here in northern Michigan.