I was swimming in our local beachside pool a few days ago when a half-assed thought hit me…

I often get my best ideas while doing 50 laps first thing every morning (it used to be ocean swimming by since I broke my wrist mountain biking a few months ago I’ve been on a rehab schedule that means I’m only now just getting back into open water).

Anyways,

One of my favourite things about that pool, which I still can’t believe is free to use, is that a couple of Ospreys love to perch right next to it.

Ospreys are Sea-Hawks that hunt fish.

They circle in the sky and swoop down into the water to catch them.

It’s really cool to see.

They’re fierce and impressive creatures. The other birds don’t dare to mess with them.

Plus my pals eat their fish sitting right next to the pool and I get to see it happening.

Problem is,

If they don’t catch a fish they don’t eat.

No one will share with them and they can’t eat anything else.

The fish naturally know what to look out for to avoid being torn apart by an Osprey and they’re fast too.

They’re built to elude them.

If the Ospreys aren’t on their A-game each time they swoop down to catch a fish, they’re not going to eat.

So when the Ospreys, circling overhead, spot a fish worth getting they go at it with full force each time.

They come at the fish from the right angle so they’re not spotted, they start their descent at the right time, they come in at the right speed, they position their talons in the right way and dive into the water in the right way, each time.

Every time.

Or they don’t eat.

Sometimes I see them circling overhead for a long time, looking hungry, and I wonder if they’ve eaten.

But there’s nothing I can do about it.

It’s up to them.

Kind of a lonely life.

It’s similar to people who do the GAMSAT…

We often speak to people who do it as a ‘trial’ or to ‘get a feel for it’ or ‘to see what it’s like’ or there are other things happening in their life which they use as a reason to not do the exam at 100%…

Aka they half-ass it.

They don’t give it everything they’ve got.

So inevitably they end up having to do it again.

And if half-assing it the first time wasn’t bad enough many of them (I’m sure it’s not you though) then think to themselves, hey, I did some study for the last one so all I need to do now is a bit more and I’ll be good.

Aka they give it another half-assed attempt.

And, as you would expect from an Osprey which doesn’t give it 100%, they go hungry and don’t get a high GAMSAT score.

Two half-assed attempts don’t equal a proper one.

What happens at this point is…

Either:

1 – Most will then say to themselves,

‘Hey, I gave it a go. Looks like this isn’t for me.’

You don’t have to be a genius to work that this person wasn’t committed to eating in the first place.

They weren’t serious about it.

Or there are deeper underlying issues going on (such as self-doubt, fear of failure, worthiness issues, etc) which meant they never gave themselves a chance to succeed, to begin with.

Maybe they’re actually beautiful ducks that can eat many different things and they go feast and live elsewhere.

Cool, but they never become doctors.

Or,

2 – A handful will realise that if they’re going to eat (and be successful Hawks), then they need to start taking some serious swoops at those fish.

They need to start their GAMSAT prep at the right time, take the right (and different) angle, come in at the right speed, take the right approach, pull out their talon and go for it at 100%, everytime, until they catch their fish.

Not gonna happen any other way,

And it shouldn’t happen any other way.

Ospreys that can’t hunt fish don’t survive long.

If you’re number 1, then I’m sorry to hear that.

You can either unsubscribe below and go be a beautiful duck.

Or you can join the second group.

If you’re in the second group then this will show you how to be on your A-game like the Ospreys and catch your fish sooner rather than later.

At Your Service,

Dr “Be Your Beautiful Self” Tom

P.S. Just don’t be the Bin Chicken around me hahaha