This morning I had the privilege of attending an inter departmental meeting with my mentor at UT Southwestern. As it goes, to make the meeting on time, I’d gotten up extra early, commuting to Dallas while it was still pitch back outside.

The occasional car passed me by as I drove but pretty quickly, the streets became packed with cars, headlights flooding the road ahead.

At the conference itself, more faculty members than I expected to see were gathered so early in the morning to kick start their work day and share their findings with their co-workers. As the meeting progressed, I noted the sun rise through the bay windows in the room.

From the beginning of my very groggy morning until the end of my meeting, I realized how much can really occur in just a small sliver of time. It was barely 8:15 when the conference had come to a conclusion, and I had been able to witness and observe so much, broadening my own horizon while the sun has barely risen above the horizon outside.

Not just that, but everyone around me had already begun their day, whether it be the commuters sharing the road with me or the physicians and medical school students participating in the conference.

It was a reminder to me that life can pass you by if you choose to let it.

Of course, sleeping in is an undeniably popular activity among most people, but sometimes the sacrifice of a few extra hours can be worth the payoff of making the most of your day.