After the Storm: Reflections on Endurance and Success
What got me through wasn’t luck. It was deliberate choices.
I’ve written before about storms — the way illness, depression, and leadership struggles can all hit at once. That blog was about survival. Finishing my master’s degree felt like the next stage: what it actually takes to keep going once the storm has moved through.
The Hardest Time
The hardest stretch was losing Jake, my black Labrador, on the first day of Trimester 1, 2024. At that point I was enrolled in three subjects. The grief was unbearable, and I ended up in hospital on several occasions it was just trying to stay afloat.
What got me through wasn’t luck. It was deliberate choices. I wrote letters to family and friends, trying to thank them while also putting into words what Jake meant to me. I built a small memorial under the tree where we’d sit together in his later years. And eventually, I accepted medical help and started medication. Taking medication isn’t weakness. Sometimes it’s a bridge — it gives you just enough footing to rebuild habits, routines, and coping strategies when depression and anxiety have stripped everything away.
Grief wasn’t the only battle. I also pushed back for higher academic standards, even when it wasn’t popular. Standing by principles takes a different kind of endurance.
What I’ve Learned
Ten thousand and eighty minutes in a week is like $10,800 — or over half a million dollars a year. How you spend them shapes everything.
Some of the lessons that stuck with me:
Resilience isn’t just pushing through. It’s letting hard times sharpen your sense of purpose.
Boundaries go both ways. Real boundaries respect yourself and the people around you. When you set your boundaries, make sure they don’t intrude on others or create unnecessary problems. Some boundaries are absolute — no means no — but others need to be balanced so they don’t make someone else’s life heavier than it needs to be.
You can’t win universal approval. Early on I wanted to be liked by everyone. Now I value acceptance over popularity — the people who challenge, support, and help you grow matter most. I advocate for a lot of groups, but I’ve realised that even the groups I support don’t always like or respect one another. I have been in the cross fire of this. If someone can’t talk openly or communicate a problem with you so that growth and learning are possible, then they’re not worth your time. Step back and stay away.
Time is currency. Ten thousand and eighty minutes in a week is like $10,800 — or over half a million dollars a year. How you spend them shapes everything. Sleep is health, study is growth, exercise is an investment in your future. Waste time, and it’s gone like wasted money. Think of it as a bank account: every week you’re given a fresh deposit. Spend recklessly, and you’ll come up short. Invest wisely, and the compound interest shows up years later in health, knowledge, and opportunities. One of the single biggest investments is exercise. If you dedicate 420 minutes a week — about seven hours, the equivalent of $420 — you’re not just buying fitness. You’re saving future costs in doctors and hospital visits, while also investing in mental health and long-term physical strength. So ask yourself: how are you spending your time-as-money?
Communication is everything. Brains and technical skills mean little if you can’t work with people, negotiate, or connect. Work in committees to learn how to collaborate and grow your network. These soft skills are incredibly important. Through them you learn time management, how to handle difficult conversations, how to celebrate wins, and how to face challenges. Think of it as another time-as-money investment: building practical skills now that will pay dividends long into the future.
Advice for Students
If you’re just starting postgrad, think of your commitments as an investment portfolio. How you allocate your time-as-money (TaM) will shape your long-term return.
Education investment: You have $1800 in TaM — that’s ten hours per subject each week. This is your baseline. Remember this is your long term investment.
Soft skills investment: Join a committee or club. The soft skills matter as much as the textbooks. You’ll build communication, negotiation, and leadership capacity that pay off later.
Financial investment: Keep paid work under eight hours a week if you can during study time. Any more, and you risk short-changing yourself and eroding the value of your education.
Wellbeing investment: You have a minimum of $420 in TaM for your wellbeing — spend it wisely. Here’s one suggestion for maximum benefit:
Moderate cardio (Zone 2): 180 minutes (6 × 30-min walks, cycling, or swimming). Builds endurance and protects long-term health.
Vigorous cardio (Zone 4): 90 minutes (3 × 30-min runs or interval sessions). Boosts VO₂ max and sharpens capacity. Aim for 5 km each run.
Strength training: 90 minutes (3 × 30-min sessions). Preserves muscle, bone, and metabolism.
Mobility/flexibility: 30 minutes (3 × 10-min stretching or yoga). Keeps joints safe and resilient.
Meditation/breath work: 30 minutes (daily 5-min practice). Calms the nervous system, builds focus, and eases stress.
Rest & recovery investment: Holidays and intentional downtime are like holding cash reserves in your portfolio. They don’t give immediate “interest,” but they provide stability and prevent burnout. A couple days of quality rest can supercharge your education and wellbeing returns. The key is balance: too little rest and your other investments lose value because you’re depleted; too much rest and you risk eroding progress. Treat downtime as scheduled deposits into your mental health account, and approach them with intention.
Remember — time is capital. Spend it across these investments wisely, because once it’s gone, it’s gone.
The Finish Line
The end crept up quietly. Submitting my last assignment, the screen fired off digital confetti. I just sat there, staring. “That’s it?” I thought. Years of work, and it ended with an animation. Hours later, I still couldn’t quite believe it. Big achievements often close out softly — no parade, just a quiet click into place.
Looking Ahead
Monitor your time just like you monitor your money in the bank account. Stay close to the people that want you to succeed. Set yourself apart from the rest!
Storm at sea, mountain climb — whichever metaphor you pick, it’s the same story. Struggle, fatigue, doubt. But step after step, wave after wave, you get there. The view from the summit or the relief of the shoreline makes sense of the fight.
That’s what endurance and success really are: showing up through the turbulence, choosing where to invest your time, and realising the biggest victories aren’t always loud — they’re often found in reflection, in the quiet moments after.
Monitor your time just like you monitor your money in the bank account. Stay close to the people that want you to succeed. Set yourself apart from the rest!
