When you’re a medical student, your dreams are as big as mountains. Vast, seemingly limitless. You dream of travel, your possible future partner, where you will work and climb the ladder.
As a resident, you start to let medical culture mould you. You choose a speciality and adopt its personality. You start to grow a hardened skin. You draw lines between your specialty and the “others.” You see patients with less of your gift of time and more of your gift of efficiency. Debts grow and so does your desperation to please, publish, and perform.
As a medical staff, you’ve made it money wise (sort of—more on that later). But now you have more worries on the horizon. Weddings and baby showers make way for unexpected funerals and tragedies. As a doctor, you work in that narrow space between life and death.
And yet…when do you stop to really examine the life you’re living?
In the rush of medical training, I missed so many precious moments with my family. I ranked studying and training higher in importance than birthday gatherings, Christmas, and deep conversations with life-long friends.
No wonder I was burnt out.
Do you fill your calendar with what will really matter at the end of your life? Does your calendar reflect the life you want to live with your whole brave heart?
Credit Jonathan Fields
I’ve attended four funerals in the past 6 months. All unexpected. You can bet I’m doing all I can to keep physically and emotionally strong and healthy. But more importantly, I’m making space for family, friends, and play. Because what is it all for if not to live a life filled with love and great experiences with those I love?
Life is about connection. Life is about love.
Don’t fill your calendar with so much busy-ness that you forget why you are doing this great work in the first place.
Question: WHY are you doing the hard work of changing? Share in the comments below.
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