Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

20/20 vision: empowering thoughts

Tomi Mitchell, MD
Physician
August 13, 2021
Share
Tweet
Share

I’m sure many people would agree that 2020 was catalytic for them. For me, it was the year I finally achieved 20/20 vision, and my eyes opened up to a world of reality. Up until this point in time, I had tried so hard to believe in hope. I found myself making excuses for other people’s behavior by doing too much compassion work on their behalf instead of taking care of my own needs first, which left me exhausted mentally and physically. I felt that I could no longer take on other people’s issues, and they needed to be accountable for their actions.

I was dismayed by the persistent patterns I had been noticing for years. Seeing communities consistently receiving subpar treatment is frustrating. So are hateful statements of overt racism, discrimination, or sexism blasted over social media- that’s something we can’t ignore anymore. Basic human rights should never be politicized – not in this country where equality has always been a fundamental right! Leadership doing things blatantly wrong, morally ethically legally, needs to stop now more than ever because they’re making it difficult for everyone who wants to do well in life.

I was tired of constantly doing my best but feeling more frustrated and exhausted with each passing. At this point, I felt that many of the “worst things” that could happen to me had already happened, so it seemed like there were not much else to lose by speaking up. Then along came the Coronavirus 19 pandemic, which added a constant sense of stress on top of everything else in life – as if we are living in some pressure cooker now!

Lip service bothers me, and sadly I have witnessed so much with all the societal challenges and events. To remember an event with a hashtag or a day of remembrance, with protests, with signs, but no real, system-wide change, frankly is hypocrisy. I was tired of this. As a society, it was easy to show some level of support for a few days, but to actually make the support relevant in everyday life consistently was another thing entirely.

I am a woman of history, and I paid close attention to past and current events. In 2020, I felt as if my forefathers cheered me on; each one had left an indelible mark on my life. At this point, I couldn’t remain true to myself and stay quiet and let the world continue on its current path of destruction.

I remember MLK telling us: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skins but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.”

I remember the words of Maya Angelou, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

I remember the words of the late John Lewis, an awe-inspiring civil rights leader.

I remember the words of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “The Notorious R.B.G.”

I remember the words of a mother begging that nurses take her 4-day old daughter seriously, saying, “she can’t breath” for over 10 hours while the baby lay in a hospital bed seizing.

I remember the words of George Floyd, ” I can’t breathe.”

Each of the above individuals had challenges in their lives and did their best to rise above them. All but one of the speakers above have passed, and I had the opportunity to talk to that one.

I had the opportunity to meet with the woman mentioned above, with the 4-day old baby that wasn’t breathing. I got to listen to the pain she felt and see her tears, and anger, and frustration on her face. However, she had an inner strength, despite her obvious physical weakness. She decided that she would renew her promise to the universe to be an advocate for the voiceless. That woman was me. She finally was able to get a clear 20/20 vision, and she decided to live life for herself and her values.

ADVERTISEMENT

We are in control of how we respond to situations. It is up to us whether or not to give up, and it doesn’t have to be that way. The world has never been perfect-it will never be either, but the point is, don’t let difficulties keep you from striving for a little bit of heaven on Earth.

Tomi Mitchell, a family physician and founder of Dr. Tomi Mitchell Holistic Wellness Strategies, is not only a distinguished international keynote speaker but also a passionate advocate for mental health and physician’s well-being, hosting her podcast, The Mental Health & Wellness Show. With over a decade of experience in presenting, public speaking, and training, she excels in creating meaningful connections with her audience. Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and book a discovery call.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

The mindset hack that will change your life

August 13, 2021 Kevin 0
…
Next

Let's look at what's right about nursing homes [PODCAST]

August 13, 2021 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Public Health & Policy

Post navigation

< Previous Post
The mindset hack that will change your life
Next Post >
Let's look at what's right about nursing homes [PODCAST]

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Tomi Mitchell, MD

  • Will longevity medicine put doctors out of work?

    Tomi Mitchell, MD
  • Dear July intern: It’s normal to feel clueless—here’s what matters

    Tomi Mitchell, MD
  • The gift we keep giving: How medicine demands everything—even our holidays

    Tomi Mitchell, MD

Related Posts

  • For medical students: 20 pearls to honor every clinical rotation

    Ton La, Jr., MD, JD
  • A trauma surgeon reflects on the Yale System, 20 years later

    Ara Feinstein, MD, MPH
  • 20 anecdotes that describe the world of female medical students and physicians

    Jamie Katuna
  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • The vision forward for health care should be bipartisan

    Suhas Gondi and Vishal Khetpal
  • A physician-parent’s thoughts on reopening schools

    Joyce Varughese, MD

More in Physician

  • How I learned to love my unique name as a doctor

    Zoran Naumovski, MD
  • What Beauty and the Beast taught me about risk

    Jayson Greenberg, MD
  • Creating safe, authentic group experiences

    Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH
  • How tragedy shaped a medical career

    Ronald L. Lindsay, MD
  • A doctor’s guide to preparing for your death

    Joseph Pepe, MD
  • How policy and stigma block addiction treatment

    Mariana Ndrio, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The human case for preserving the nipple after mastectomy

      Thomas Amburn, MD | Conditions
    • Nuclear verdicts and rising costs: How inflation is reshaping medical malpractice claims

      Robert E. White, Jr. & The Doctors Company | Policy
    • How new loan caps could destroy diversity in medical education

      Caleb Andrus-Gazyeva | Policy
    • IMGs are the future of U.S. primary care

      Adam Brandon Bondoc, MD | Physician
    • How I learned to love my unique name as a doctor

      Zoran Naumovski, MD | Physician
    • From nurse practitioner to leader in quality improvement [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Health equity in Inland Southern California requires urgent action

      Vishruth Nagam | Policy
    • How restrictive opioid policies worsen the crisis

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Why primary care needs better dermatology training

      Alex Siauw | Conditions
    • New student loan caps could shut low-income students out of medicine

      Tom Phan, MD | Physician
    • Why pain doctors face unfair scrutiny and harsh penalties in California

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Love, birds, and fries: a story of innocence and connection

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How I learned to love my unique name as a doctor

      Zoran Naumovski, MD | Physician
    • My first week on night float as a medical student

      Amish Jain | Education
    • What Beauty and the Beast taught me about risk

      Jayson Greenberg, MD | Physician
    • Creating safe, authentic group experiences

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • The diseconomics of scale: How Indian pharma’s race to scale backfires on U.S. patients

      Adwait Chafale | Meds
    • Healing from medical training by learning to trust your body again [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The human case for preserving the nipple after mastectomy

      Thomas Amburn, MD | Conditions
    • Nuclear verdicts and rising costs: How inflation is reshaping medical malpractice claims

      Robert E. White, Jr. & The Doctors Company | Policy
    • How new loan caps could destroy diversity in medical education

      Caleb Andrus-Gazyeva | Policy
    • IMGs are the future of U.S. primary care

      Adam Brandon Bondoc, MD | Physician
    • How I learned to love my unique name as a doctor

      Zoran Naumovski, MD | Physician
    • From nurse practitioner to leader in quality improvement [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Health equity in Inland Southern California requires urgent action

      Vishruth Nagam | Policy
    • How restrictive opioid policies worsen the crisis

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Why primary care needs better dermatology training

      Alex Siauw | Conditions
    • New student loan caps could shut low-income students out of medicine

      Tom Phan, MD | Physician
    • Why pain doctors face unfair scrutiny and harsh penalties in California

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Love, birds, and fries: a story of innocence and connection

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How I learned to love my unique name as a doctor

      Zoran Naumovski, MD | Physician
    • My first week on night float as a medical student

      Amish Jain | Education
    • What Beauty and the Beast taught me about risk

      Jayson Greenberg, MD | Physician
    • Creating safe, authentic group experiences

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • The diseconomics of scale: How Indian pharma’s race to scale backfires on U.S. patients

      Adwait Chafale | Meds
    • Healing from medical training by learning to trust your body again [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...