A quality I'd really like to develop is patience. I'm a twenty-four-year-old junior doctor in Dhaka, and I've realised that I'm often in too much of a hurry, both at work and at home.
The most patient person I know is my aunt Rokeya, who's been a primary school teacher for nearly thirty years. I've watched her help a child read the same sentence ten times without ever sounding irritated. She listens until people have completely finished speaking, and she never rushes to judge. When I was younger, I thought she was just slow, but now I can see it's a strength.
I'm trying to develop it in small ways. On the ward, I've made a rule that I let patients finish describing their symptoms before I ask questions, even when there's a queue. I've also stopped checking my phone while I'm waiting in traffic, and instead I just breathe and look around, which sounds silly but helps. My aunt suggested counting to five before replying when I'm annoyed, and that's surprisingly effective.
The main reason I want this quality is my job. Patients who are frightened or in pain often explain things in a confused way, and if I interrupt, I might miss something important. Twice I've nearly misjudged a case because I assumed I knew what the patient was going to say. Patience also matters in my relationships. My younger brother says I talk to him as if I'm always late for something, and he's probably right. I think if I become more patient, I'll be a safer doctor and, honestly, a nicer person to be around.