Dr Alex George: My Hardest Day in A&E, Family Suicide & Finding TRUE Purpose. | E89

Missing medical school by two marks was a defining early failure for Dr Alex. Instead of accepting it as a permanent verdict on his ability, he reapplied, fixed the specific issue (coursework marks), retook interviews and got in – later graduating with distinction. Treat failures as feedback: identify exactly what went wrong, adjust, re‑apply, and recognize that experiencing deep failure can make you value and protect success far more.

Both Alex and Steven frame discomfort as the price of meaningful growth. Alex cites his mum’s phrase, “Get comfortable being uncomfortable,” and shows how each step—from first blood draws, to Love Island, to live TV—felt terrifying at first and normal later. Deliberately choose worthwhile struggles that expand your skills and identity, and remember your track record of surviving previous scary steps when facing new ones.

Alex argues our biology expects daylight, movement, tribe and purpose, but modern life offers screens, isolation, processed food and poor sleep. His own depressive episode at university improved rapidly when he reintroduced “anchors”: daily walks in daylight, exercise, cooking real food, structured sleep and regular calls with friends. Audit your routine against these basics and systematically re‑add what’s missing before assuming you’re ‘born broken’.

Both speakers stress that without active self‑inquiry, you end up following other people’s scripts—parents’, culture’s, social media’s. Alex periodically does a ‘word vomit’ on paper: he writes everything he’s thinking about life, leaves it, then comes back to circle patterns and distil a clear sense of purpose and concrete goals. At least yearly, sit with a blank page and ask: What actually matters to me? Am I living it? If not, what specific steps will I take to move toward it?

Social media and shows like Love Island can warp values and self‑image in subtle ways. Alex advises unfollowing or muting any account that makes you feel worse or pushes ‘junk values’, and intentionally filling your feeds with people and ideas aligned with your interests, beliefs and health. He also suggests protecting at least the first and last 20–60 minutes of the day from your phone to avoid letting external noise dictate your mood, attention and sleep quality.