We conclude the Finding Joy in the Journey of Medicine series this week.  After touching on awareness, expectations, intentionality, and perspective, we now move on to maintenance and language.

I’ll break maintenance into - physical care, mental fitness, and emotional health (including healthy coping strategies and boundaries). Neglecting self-care leads to poorer physical, mental, and emotional health. Putting time and attention toward self-maintenance, on the other hand,...

We are in a series on finding joy in the journey of medicine and avoiding the arrival fallacy. This week are on to the next approach: Perspective. I lump several strategies under this category - gratefulness, practical positive cognitive psychology, growth mindset, and self-compassion. 

I, along with many others, have written, taught, and coached on all these topics, so I suspect they are not new to you.  However, let’s harness these approaches to find joy now rather...

We are continuing to unpack ways in which to begin enjoying the joy in the journey of medicine as we work toward our goals. We have already discussed awareness and expectations, and this week we are focusing on intentionality. 

So many of us have been deceived by the arrival fallacy in which we believe things will be better when (insert next milestone) only to be disappointed. To avoid that, cultivate a life that you enjoy now. It will require deliberate action to create time and...

For my new blog series, I thought I would tackle how to enjoy the journey of medicine.  Many greater philosophers, leaders, and authors than myself have taken on the expansive subject. So, I find myself questioning my ambitious quest to assist readers in this manner, especially divorced from coaching. However, the one thing I have learned after almost 2 years of weekly blogs is I do my best writing whatever is on my mind. And currently, that’s learning to take pleasure in the steps...

How many of you have been waiting for joy to arrive? When do you think it will appear?

Many professions and individuals slip into the mentality that they will finally find their joy when they get through the current stage or stressor. It’s incredibly prevalent among physicians, given the nature of our delayed gratification in training. It’s common to think joy will arrive or be delivered after an accomplishment.

“I finished med school and matched into residency”...