# @carmen.strives on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DRkbWdDiIHI
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/59924260-carmenstrives-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/68ef6a5091.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-11-27T18:00:00.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Carmen | Medical student 🩺 (@carmen.strives) — https://gondola.cc/carmen.strives

## Caption

I’ve always felt like I’m running on an infinite hamster wheel. No matter what I achieve, there is always another goal waiting for me. 

People told me, “slow down,”
“you’re giving yourself unnecessary stress,”
but I couldn’t .. because when your parents have given you everything, you don’t ever want to let them down. It took me years to realise that the pressure I put on myself didn’t come from medicine… it came from the way I grew up. 

Being compared to my brother , the ideal “smart Asian kid” and getting told I was #1 only because “everyone else was dumb.”
At some point, I started wishing I didn’t come first just so nobody could minimise my achievement again.

But here’s the thing:
Toxic motivation didn’t break me ; it built me.

It made me resilient.
Driven.
Self-reflective.
And willing to keep growing, even when it’s uncomfortable.
I’m unlearning the need to chase validation.
I’m learning how to enjoy the journey instead of proving myself all the time.

And I hope this reel reminds at least one person:
your worth is not measured by your grades, achievements, or how fast you climb. 

You’re already enough. 🤍
Enjoy the journey and you’ll see how much you’d grow in 5 years! 

Follow my journey to becoming a doctor — let’s strive and thrive together, no matter what life throws at us 💙
#medstudent #medstudentlife #medschool #selfimprovement #glowupjourney #growingupasian

## Stats

- **Views:** 97,260
- **Likes:** 9,767
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 70

## Tags

selfimprovement, medstudentlife, medschool, 1, medstudent, growingupasian, glowupjourney

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