Every physician has had the experience.  The moment you ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?”

It could be when you look into the waiting room where there are more patients to be seen and know if you take a break, it will set you back even further.

It could be on the final stretch of the 24-hour shift that redefined the meaning of the word “nonstop.”

It could be the third time you answer the phone to clarify an order because the new computer system only allows for the order to be formatted in a certain way.

It could be when you take stock of your life and career and things don’t add up. You’re not where you thought you’d be in your career, finances, or life.

But what if the very things you think are minuses, obstacles, and challenges are the very things that are taking you to your desired outcome? If only you could stop thinking of them as stumbling blocks and see them as stepping stones.

What if you could see the moments of feeling uncomfortable and discouraged as defining the next steps to break through to success in life and in medicine?

Are you willing to give up now and accept where you are as final when you can bring the target into view with a few shifts?

The success you seek is the natural unfolding.

1. Expand your vision. When challenges arise, or you feel frustrated, and your energy is drained, ask yourself what it would look like if you were living fully into your passion and purpose. How would the day flow?  How does your team support your efforts? What are you grateful for?  In the very moment of frustration, stop. Interrupt the pattern of complaining and replace it with expansive thinking.

2. Energize your vision. Feel into the vision you created.  Release the present feelings of stress, overwhelm, and frustration. Replace them with positive energy as you appreciate a team that supports you. What does it feel like to be happy with a workday that flows? Love your patients. Imagine how the patient visit flows when communication is optimal, so patients ask clarifying questions to improve their compliance with your care plan. How does it feel when you know you’ve made a positive impact on your patient’s life?  After all, that’s part of the reason you pursued a medical career.

3. Empower yourself. Now, bring this new, expanded, energized vision into your reality.  What is the one next step you commit to that will make the difference in managing your energy and your thoughts in the clinical setting?  With this new energy as your foundation, how will you now respond to what the day presents to you?  When you bring this new awareness to your experience, you shift from feeling stuck to becoming unstoppable.

As clinicians, we live at the patient’s bedside.  We narrow our focus to see what’s the next thing that needs to be done to ensure the best patient outcomes.  We troubleshoot for the team.  We lose sight of the power that resides in our life’s calling and purpose.  In being the best at our jobs, we stop living into our best selves.

When we tap into the energy of our calling, we become unstoppable.  We see the greater purpose of our journey in medicine. We grow and expand into the person we are meant to be, who shows up even more fully in every area of life.  And that’s when success is revealed to us in every moment.

Stephanie Wellington is a physician, certified professional coach, and founder of Nurturing MDs, dedicated to guiding physicians from stress and overwhelm to ease and flow in the demanding medical field. She empowers clinicians to infuse new energy into their careers and reconnect with their identities beyond the stethoscope. She can also be reached on Facebook and LinkedIn.

She is a speaker, author, and recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award. If stress and overwhelm are part of your practice, get started with the free guide: “15 Ways to Infuse New Energy.”

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