A Year Ago Today, I Started.

“A year from now you may wish you had started today.”

– Karen Lamb

A few months ago, I was backing up files on my laptop.

Something caught my eye: A folder containing my statement of purpose when I applied for grad school in 2003 -- I was 21 at the time, about to wrap up college, and trying to figure out where I was heading next.

Just for fun, I opened it up to see what kind of wide-eyed hopes and dreams I set out to accomplish. Despite having written it myself, I was pleasantly surprised. In it, I had written my goals for what I wanted to achieve as a PhD student, and these goals were not far removed from what I still love to do:

…using biological information to create computer models that better understand the human body, and apply it towards the development of potential therapeutic options.

Up until 18 months ago, I was doing just that. I was working as an R&D informatics scientist at a biotech company. I was analyzing a lot of biological data on metabolic processes and nutrients that impact the human body. And I was trying to turn that information into something beneficial for developing singular therapeutic products that may service a market need.

I thought I was where I wanted to be.

Here I was, learning all these interesting facts about metabolism and nutrients within our own bodies. But if those facts didn’t immediately translate into a profitable therapeutic market, it wasn’t worth pursuing. And that’s fine, I get it…companies need to make money and any learned insight must bring profitable value to their core business.

But there was something that always bothered me about that logic.  Couldn’t information in itself be valuable to someone if it was properly distilled it into something more basic and fundamental to use?

But that’s silly to think about, of course. “Really, Monica, stop taking yourself so seriously, who would care?”

Yet I couldn’t quite shake that feeling. After all, eating is an essential part of what we do as human beings…there had to be something more to it.

And when it comes to knowing what to eat, wouldn't information, if better understood, be just as valuable and effective as a 'therapeutic product' to someone in their health?

And so began the long hours and cups of coffee into the night while the kids were asleep, as I sat in front of my laptop trying to figure out how to get started. My attempt at keeping my husband busy was to encourage him to head out in the evenings, “Go have fun with the boys, someone has to stay in with the kids.” (Appreciate you putting up with me, babe!)

Birthdays, at their core, are a celebration for a completion of another year, and a fresh start for something new. Today reminds me of what brought me to where I’m at, because it is WellSeek’s first birthday.

I'm proud to say, a year ago today, I started.

Posted 2.17.2015