27.5: it's a good age to gain some confidence!

For those that know me, it would be safe to say that I have a healthy dose of self-confidence. After some hard times during college, I think I bounced back and learned to really love myself. As they say, to love somebody is not to think they have no faults, but to love them for their faults, too. This is what I did: I decided that all the things wrong with me are a part of me, and I could still like myself, even if I wasn't perfect. So, I learned to love me. And I'll tell you, life gets much better when you can do this.
Despite all this love, there has been an area in the last several years in which I have had completely NO confidence: Science. Surprised? Usually one doesn't go for a PhD when she thinks little of herself as a scientist. But only so many experiments can fail before you begin to take it personally. It's like hearing "it's not you, it's me" for, like, 8 break-ups in a row. Sure, science often fails, but seriously, all the freaking time?
A true low point hit at the beginning of last year. As you know, funding was scarce in my previous laboratory. I was hardly able to order any equipment or experimental supplies. Anything I did seemed to fail, anyway. I considered dropping out of the program and beginning a nursing program at U of A. Starting over in a new lab seemed tiring and overwhelming. Then I spoke to a professor here who, upon hearing my dilemna, said " well, you'd be welcome to join my lab." I couldn't imagine anyone actually wanting me around. My first thought was does he realize I'm a scientific loser? But he believed in me and liked me. That was the beginning of a new chapter for me. I figured that if somebody else thought I was worth something, then perhaps I should starting thinking that way too.
I joined Dr. Naomi Rance's lab a year ago, today. The very first week I was there, she and a couple of members of the lab were having a discussion about an experiment. Naomi turned to me and said "What do you think, Melinda?" I was floored. Me? You want my opinion? Why? I had just gotten there, and this MD PhD wanted me to weigh in. This was the first of many events that started me on an upward path. Over the months, Naomi has expressed how happy she is to have me in the lab. This has completely turned my grad school experience around. When people hear about what happened to me during my 3rd year of the program, they're horrified and feel so bad for me. I have to explain to them that it was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I have worked like a dog since last April, and now, surprisingly, things are starting to work. My "reverse Midas touch," as I called it, seems to be going away. My confidence as a scientist is growing; I actually feel like I bring something to the table now. This has never been the case for me.
Today is Sunday. I got here at 8am today. I came in yesterday, too. This is what happens when you tell somebody they can do it and you believe in them: they will work harder for you and harder for themselves.
So I want to thank my advisor, Naomi, who has given me more than just a lab to work in, but the confidence to work hard and believe in myself.
Go neuroscience!