“The only true voyage would be not to travel through a hundred different lands with the same pair of eyes, but to see the same land through a hundred different pairs of eyes.” Marcel Proust Entrepreneur, investor and author, Tim Ferris, opens his fascinating book Tribe of Mentors with the quote above. Turning 40 and feeling at […]
Building Your Tribe Read More »
“We are all so much together, but we are all dying of loneliness.” Albert Schweitzer We focus a great deal on “hard skills” in medicine-medical knowledge, clinical skills and competency, surgical expertise. Yet, it is often the “soft skills” that grease the wheels of our life and work. One of our most powerful soft skills
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I was so infuriated by a client’s emotional account as a recipient of lousily delivered feedback, that I immediately began to pen a blog on the inadequacies of feedback. This has long been an area of concern in medicine, given that feedback provides the backbone of how we learn. Concerns range from feedback underuse (sometimes
The Transformative Skill of Receiving Feedback Well Read More »
When we think of our strengths, it is tempting to concentrate on those skills that we have honed and narrowly focused on over the years, as increasing specialization and sub-specialization have become conventional wisdom for success. In the process of doing so what we may in fact be doing is not only building in a
Embracing the Mosaic of all your Talents Read More »
“It seemed to be a necessary ritual that he should prepare himself for sleep by meditating under the solemnity of the night sky… a mysterious transaction between the infinity of the soul and the infinity of the universe.” ~ Victor Hugo Rituals, both religious and secular have been part of human cultures the world over,
Changing Routine to Ritual Read More »
Have you thought about this question? At some point in our careers some form of this question will probably arise. Ideally, it would be something that we might reflect upon before we are in crisis. For years, we as physicians are focused on acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to practice our profession. Skills that
Physicians: Are you designing your career or is it designing you? Read More »
I’ve come across many hard-working people in my professional life. I’ve also known my fair share of devoted martyrs. Martyrs rarely inspire, instead they immerse others in their self-sacrifice. Despite their dedication, joy struggles to permeate their self-denial. What is the Martyr Complex? Although, some individuals may be more prone to martyrdom than others, it
Hard Work vs. Martyrdom: Physicians Beware! Read More »
When Ross Bentley, a retired Indy car driver and world-renowned car racing coach discovered the work of Carol Dweck, an eminent Stanford psychologist, who has spent years studying human motivation, he was elated to find her research confirmed what he had discerned in his years of coaching race car drivers. Dr. Dweck has determined that
Imagine designing your own compass, where you replace the cardinal directions with a word, a person or a phrase that illustrates the “direction” that you plan to use as your heading for that day. How often do we begin each day without having made these conscious choices about how we are going to approach the
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Listening to and acknowledging the stories that patients narrate represents an intrinsic part of the interaction between doctor and patient. Telling their story allows a patient “to be heard’-“to be seen”. When a patient reveals their story a moment of trust, vulnerability and connection has been created. Through these stories an opportunity has arisen to
Physician: Know Your Own Story Read More »
