Last week we reviewed issues that arise around making personal decisions. This week, I’m offering you some steps to deal with the issues raised last week. Then, next week, we will dive into specific actions I find most useful.

Since we identified common procrastination as a barrier to making a decision – let’s talk about overcoming it.

First, the “I’m too busy” root of procrastination. This is like getting in the rental car and hurrying to your...

As physicians, we are trained to make dozens of decisions quickly each day. Yet, we aren't necessarily taught how to translate those methods into our personal lives. There are many methods, tools, and techniques out there that help business leaders make decisions. Some are very applicable to the personal world, and others- not so much.

Before I launch into my techniques for decision-making, compiled from many mentors over the years, I want to explore the issues around decisions first.

Last week, we discussed what the  Inner Critic is and how to develop an awareness of its presence and its damage.  This week, we move on to the next steps of quieting your inner critic.

Step 1 –Awareness as discussed last week.

Step 2 – Get a clear picture of your critic.  In your mind or via some art form, put a face to your inner critic. Does it look like some form of yourself, a drill sergeant, your dismissive stoic teacher with her glasses...

In this week’s blog, I’d love to discuss the grass-is-greener fallacy. I don’t pretend to know all the answers, but hope to spark some healthy reflection for you, especially if you find yourself in that boat.

First, I want to validate that if you are practicing clinical family medicine or academic family medicine, no matter what form it takes – you have a challenging job. The challenges are deep and broad. Most of us are partially or fully employed as opposed to...

This week, I am finishing out the takeaways from the Careers in FM Blog Series over the past four months, which highlighted 15 fulfilled family physicians with diverse career paths. A couple of weeks ago, I highlighted two major themes that ran through the series – Career Trajectory and Mentorship and then the themes of Finding/Creating Fulfillment and Joy. Last week, I reviewed their recommendations for First Job and Job Pivot Career Decisions. This week, I'm...

I’m continuing to highlight the takeaways from the Careers in FM Blog Series over the past four months, which highlighted 15 fulfilled family physicians with diverse career paths. A couple of weeks ago, I highlighted two major themes that ran through the series – Career Trajectory and Mentorship. Last week, I highlighted the takeaway themes of Finding/Creating Fulfillment and Joy and other significant themes. This week, I'm capturing the wealth of advice...

I’m continuing to highlight the takeaways from the Careers in FM Blog Series over the past four months. Last week, I highlighted two major themes – Career Trajectory and Mentorship. Under the heading of finding/creating fulfillment and joy, we find the following themes throughout the 15 fulfilled family physicians’ foundations:

Connection with Patients. Most family physicians (and physicians in general) find a real richness in connecting with their patients. Here...

I hope you enjoyed hearing from a variety of family physicians, their individual career paths, and pearls in the Careers in Family Medicine blog series. We have a few others that are still pending. I’ll publish those when they’re available. For this week, I wanted to recap some themes that I felt were common throughout the very diverse practices of family medicine highlighted these last 4 months. 

#1 The Career Squiggle. Credit to Dr. Jennifer Sullivan for the...

We are continuing our blog series Careers in Family Medicine. Each week, I will highlight a family physician and their career path. Each one will share their pearls. So far, we have highlighted examples of Rural Practice, Value Based Care, Academic Medicine, US Department of State, Multi-specialty group and Leadership, Direct Primary Care, FQHC practices, Hospital Medicine, Tribal Health, Military Medicine, Concierge Practice in an...

We are continuing our blog series Careers in Family Medicine. Each week, I will highlight a family physician and their career path. Each one will share their pearls. So far, we have highlighted examples of Rural Practice, Value Based Care, Academic Medicine, US Department of State, Multi-specialty group and Leadership, Direct Primary Care, FQHC practices, Hospital Medicine, Tribal Health, Military Medicine, Concierge Practice in an...