Blessed With Amrit. Need Advice From Professional Amritdhari Sangat.

[Guest Singh]

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

I was blessed with Amrit and I haven't ever been happier, this is truly a blessing, it's like a rebirth and a commitment to a pure lifestyle. My mom didn't completely agree with it, but my dad did eventually. The reason my mom didn't was because she thought I wouldn't keep up with my professional goals (of becoming a licensed doctor here in USA) although I assured her that this will not effect my studies. My mom has a right to think this because I made a few mistakes in the past and wasn't completely serious, but I know for sure that it's in the past and I am ready to give it 100% along with keeping rehit. To cut a long story short, I convinced my dad that I can do it, but mom isn't so convinced.

What I'm asking is can any professional Singhs/Kaurs who follow rehit help me with ensuring I keep my rehit in tact and still am able to achieve my goal of keeping highly competitive grades to become a doctor and keep rehit in tact. I am willing to give up distractions that otherwise would distract people.

One thing that I foresee being a challenge (but nothing that can't be overcome with the right approach) is when final exams come around. The cramming and packing of information and then waking up to attend an exam early in the morning.

I know the key is time management, but It's always helpful to get advice from sangat who have pursued professional careers without sacrificing any of their rehit.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

[SunSingh]

when i went through law school i noticed that people used alcohol to relax. as a sikh, you can use your amritvela naam bani to relax. it has the added advantage of helping with concentration. but since you need to keep up the amritvela even on exam day you need a bit of an edge. i've also seen singhs at university walking back from class while reciting rehrass to save time. besides studying throughout the term at a reasonable level that doesn't burn you out, you also need to work out and eat right to ensure your body and mind are kept at their sharpest. basically, what i'm saying is sharpen the saw. also, in sharda pooran granth there is a viddhi to learn new knowledge involving meditation on the vidya vichaarae shabad. look it up from PJS's scribd account.

the sad truth is, if you do a lot of paath, to succeed during the more intense times in your career, you may need to cut back to the minimum. but it's not all bad. i know a singh who does 100 japji sahibs a day during the summer, and much less during the school year. so in the end, it doesn't have to cause any long term harm to your sikhi. when i studied i almost always played gurmantr jaap on my laptop and i found it helped me to stay relaxed. i noticed that at some level the brain does register it.

[lowest of the low singhni]

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

I honestly sometimes feel that the only way to survive being a doctor is by having a good foundation in Sikhi. The pressure at medical school and during your job can only be overcome with Guru Ji's help. So many people look to drugs or alcohol as a way to de-stress. They are so unfortunate...

It's a shame that your parents see your Amrit as being a hinderance when in actual fact you've been blessed with something which will help you through any situation in life.

Time management is critical. Don't leave assignments or revision until the last minute. Don't believe your colleagues when they say they do that. Perhaps they do, but it's stupid. Much better to do a little bit everyday and then reward yourself with something nice like a Rensabai at the end of the week than leave it all to the end.

You will start the year feeling really positive and then you will slip, and then you will realise that you should have revised much earlier, and then you will learn the hard way (by failing an exam) and then the next year you will ace everything because you learned your lesson!

If you start your day well by doing your Simran and Nitnem your day will go so much easier and it will be a joy to study. You've chosen one of the best jobs in the world, doing seva for others for the rest of your life can only uplift you. Remind yourself of this whenever it gets tough.

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh