ADVERSITY
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Michael Cole. I was born in St. John’s Newfoundland and currently am working as a Search and Rescue Technician in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Although that provides a rough start point and current point of my life, the line in between is definitely not linear.
Until graduating from high school, I didn’t face any real adversity. I coasted through most of my classes and was athletic enough to play sports, but never be the star. This resulted in me developing a poor work ethic and I was accepting of mediocracy, as long as I wasn’t “below average.” I didn’t have a fire. There was no desire to be chasing excellence. After high school I ended up going to University, purely because it was what everyone else was doing, but joined the army at the same time. I was looking for a way to finally be special, but at the same time playing it safe by punching below my belt. I would stick to things I knew were in my wheelhouse and if I did poorly at something I would make myself feel better by justifying it as unimportant to me.
At the start of my third year of university, I started to gain a hunger for excellence. It began with the Sandhurst program. This was a very selective team at my school that trained above and beyond in military skills and fitness. These were people who found the hard way and chose that way to make themselves better. For the first time in my life, I truly had to work to become a part of something, and when I was finally chosen, earning my spot instead of being handed it, the elation was next to none. The part that blew my mind is the amount of work I put in to get onto the team was insignificantly small compared to the amount they expected me to put in while on the team. I could feel myself working harder and harder everyday, but was simultaneously reaping the benefit. The concept of “hard work pays off” is so often said, but so rarely practiced.
At this point I had already known in my mind that I did not want to be in the army anymore. I had met a Search and Rescue Technician and knew that was what I wanted to do. These guys and girls were known as individuals who could do absolutely anything! From parachuting out of the sky to diving in the ocean, from climbing in the mountains to surviving in the Arctic, and everything in between. All with the intent of finding those that others cannot save. This group was known for putting in more work than anyone else in the pursuit of rescuing as many Canadian lives as possible. The only problem is, I had to make a big sacrifice and spend 3 years of my life in a job I didn’t want to do, just for the chance to apply.
These last two years have included my selection process, a year of unbelievable training, and finally working as an operational SAR Tech back in my home province of Newfoundland. The recurring theme that has come up these last few years is that the more uncomfortable and difficult a situation is, the more I seem to gain from it. I have decided to begin my second degree, a BHSc at Queen’s University, starting with ANAT100 and BMED173. The medical field is one that I find extremely interesting and is applicable to my work. That being said, I know that adding academic learning into my already busy life, won’t be easy. BMED173, like most of my day to day activities, is an obstacle I am putting in front of myself to create a new path. My intent is to challenge myself; to experience growth. I take every opportunity I can to always choose the hard way, knowing that adversity creates adaptation, and this is how I can be the best version of myself.
RESCUE
Click the following link to see some of the training I did to become a Search and Rescue Technician: SAR Course 51
Click the following link to see how I also plan on using the course of BMED173 to better myself: SMART Goal