Try harder for what you want

What's waiting for you will get to you if you try harder 💫

🔻Things I planned for myself when this pandemic started:

➡️When the national lockdown in India began due to this global pandemic in mid March, I approached hospitals & laboratories to volunteer for diagnosis of SARS-COV2, keeping my edu & research background in consideration. I don't remember any day when I didn't hit the buttons on my phone to search & apply for opportunities to serve the nation during difficult times.

➡️Apart from searching for volunteering, I was also working on my recent research paper.

➡️I wanted to learn new things that could add on to my resume & meet new people.

➡️By April end, almost a month & a half after the lockdown began, I was depressed due to being jobless at home. This started to take a toll on my mental health as I couldn't be out at the lab among things I love. So I actively started to look for jobs as I thought I wouldn't get an opportunity to volunteer for COVID-19.

➡️To fulfill my career goals, I made a bucket list and got obsessed with studying new interesting Biomedical/Life sci topics.

🔻Things I achieved till date :

✅ Successfully got to volunteer for COVID-19 at a diagnostic laboratory that receives about 4k samples daily from all over India (Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Gujarat)

✅Worked hard enough and finally got my 2nd paper accepted by an Indian publication for International Book of Ayurvedic medicine.

✅ Completed 2 online courses. 1 related to the Coronavirus & 1 Neurosci course. Got to know wonderful people in #STEM

✅Grabbed the Technical officer position at the same diagnostic center that I started volunteering for SARS-CoV-2. From studying about Infections diseases that got me excited to working on them, I achieved my bucket list goals midway.

Moral : Dreaming about things & working hard enough on your plans to achieve them can get you to accomplishing your goals at the end. When this pandemic began, I was positive that I'll get through these difficult times & complete a few of my bucket list goals. Although depression hit me in between, I believed in myself & worked hard to get stuff done. Hence the title💫

- Rachna Jadhav

@theresilientresearcher