Dear 'GMA' Advice Guru Top 20 Finalists: Edward Freeman
Read an application from one of our finalists.
Nov. 26, 2010 — -- Edward Freeman from Killeen, Texas, is a finalist in the Dear GMA Advice Guru Contest. Read his application below!
Essay
This is the toughest section of the whole process, having to talk about myself, but we will give it a go. As I mentioned in one of the other sections, I am an M.D., a psychiatrist as a matter of fact. Giving advice on numerous psycho/social topics is what I do all day and for me it is wonderful. I have always wanted to be a physican since the age of forever and that never changed for me. When I rose to the level of medical training, that is where I had my first brush with potential failure. It was during that struggle that I really got to know myself and to really come to terms with the real me... not the person I thought I was or should be but the good, the bad and the ugly that dwelled within. I finally became comfortable with me and truly internalized those values my parents had worked so hard to instill in me. When I got back into medical school I was a different person and I believe that is when I found my true calling and psychiatry picked me. I believe the combination of the medical, psychological, forensic, as well as the sojourn of my protracted medical training has helped me to be analytical as well as empathic. In addition, I know my work with the hundreds of soldiers and their families I have treated here in Fort Hood/Killeen,Texas, where my family and I have lived for the last six years, has truly given me an opportunity to diagnose, treat and advise people on topics involving every aspect of their lives. I do indeed believe I have the skills training and know how to be your Advice Guru.
What's the best advice you have ever given? What was the result?
I believe the best advice I ever gave was to myself, strange as that may sound. I was out of med school and trying everything I could to get back in but was getting nowhere. I didn't know what to do. I felt as if all was lost and that I was never going to acheive my lifelong dream of becoming a doctor. So I asked myself, "What would you tell someone else in this same situation?" The answer became clear and it was simply, "If this is what you really want to do and it is your dream, then don't give up and keep pushing." So that is exactly what I did. The road was no less difficult but it did finally lead me to my dream of becoming an MD. I'm so glad I listened to my own advice, which originally came to me from my parents over the years.
Related Stories
ABC News Live