Story and Reflection: What Success Really Looks Like

As a new academic year begins—fresh name badges, new roles, different rhythms—I’ve been returning to a question I first heard from Dr. Kerri Palamara, a national leader in coaching in graduate medical education and Director of the Center for Physician Well-Being at Massachusetts General Hospital.

She posed it similar to this:

“If I were to see you next June in the lobby out there, and you told me the year had been a huge success, what would have made that true for you?”

It’s simple. Disarming. And incredibly powerful.

A few years ago, I asked a group of interns to pause and journal on that very question. Their answers were as varied as their lives—some hoped to feel ready to be seniors, others wanted to stay physically active or feel more confident at work. A few mentioned not missing out on too milestones with their children. But nearly every response had something in common: a desire for connection. Not just clinical competence or efficiency, but presence, relationships, and a sense of meaning beyond the tasks.

I’ve since posed similar versions of this question to attendings. Their answers often reflect similar sentiments and have some deeper realizations. Some feel reenergized to pursue their aspirations with intention. Others recognize they don’t want to climb that particular ladder(or maybe even climb at all) seeking purpose or contentment in their current situation or elsewhere.

When we define success from a future lens, it reshapes more than our goals. It brings our values into focus. It reminds us not just what we want to achieve, but who we want to be in the process. That’s what makes it possible to “keep your eye on the prize.” Not as a finish line, but as something far more meaningful: a life, a career, and a year lived in alignment.

Reflection: What would make this academic year feel meaningful, a huge success even, if I asked you next June? Not just completed, but lived in a way that honors what matters most to you, even within the realities you’re navigating?