Doing a simple internet search, you can find a plethora of information about well-being and health. Being happy and well is a goal everyone should aim to achieve. However, I find many of the tips out there are simply unattainable. It may be that I am just a fail at true inner peace and that my inner tsunami doesn’t let me rest. Or it may be that the tips just …
When it comes to well-being, one size doesn’t fit all
Recently someone asked me how I started my blog, Brave Enough. The person, a physician, wondered how I made the jump from safe, traditional academia into the world of social media and blogging about women empowerment.
“Did you have one moment? Did something happen? What was it?”
The conversation made me reflect, as I have been, for several weeks. Like most things, my introspection ended up as words in my journal. Then, words in a …
The story of how this physician started her blog
The lows don’t mean you are loser. To the contrary, they mean something else that is completely antithetical. They mean you are pushing the envelope. You’re learning from past mistakes. The lows mean that you are at an inflection point. The trick is not to see the pit you are currently trapped in as a pit. Think of it more as a privileged vista in which to view the pathway …
The lows don’t mean you are loser
They say to be a good doctor, you have to leave everything behind when you enter the exam room. You walk in with a clean slate — shiny and sterile, crisp, clean and decontaminated. I wonder if that’s why we wear a white coat? To symbolize the unscathed, untouched and pristine figure who walks into the room and solves all the problems. The one who just woke up from a …
Does being a good doctor mean being superhuman?
“Do not wait, the time will never be just right.”
– Napoleon Hill
“The perfect time to start something never arrives. Start now.”
– T. Harv Eker
Timing is everything. In life, love, and business, this axiom holds true. At least, that’s what we tell ourselves. But is this always the case?
As a reader of this blog, you probably have some desire to establish some streams of passive income. So if you …
The time for physicians to start a side hustle? Right now.
Physician burnout is the depression of the medical world. We are aware of its presence and the detriment it can cause, but yet, we don’t really like to talk about it. The problem is, just like depression, if we don’t talk about it or seek to address it, it persists and leads to a number of unwanted outcomes including decreased productivity, decreased patient satisfaction, and increase in medical errors. And …
Burnout: Don’t blame the clinicians; blame the system
There are a lot of what-ifs in life.
If only I had made that putt on 14, I could have shot my best score ever.
If only I had taken a different job or performed better at the interview, I would be so much happier at my job.
For decisions large and small, there are ample opportunities to second-guess yourself.
I’m sure you have your own what-ifs when it comes to investing.
If only I …
Avoid second-guessing: Investing doesn’t have to be complicated
Once every couple of years I have medical students from the local medical school over for dinner. At some point, the conversation usually turns to finance, and I commiserate with them about their loan burdens. I typically toss them a few pearls of wisdom, wish them good luck, and we move on to something else. They always think it’s funny when I say, “If you can’t live on $200K, you …
10 reasons why doctors spend too much money
Recently, I was asked to give a talk on resilience and its role in reducing physician burnout. I was excited by the opportunity, but asked if I could focus more on cultural change and institutional solutions for burnout. When they said no, I declined. Why?
Well, it’s not that I don’t see the value in resilience. A lot of physicians that I really respect write and speak about resilience. I think …
Physician burnout shouldn’t be linked to resilience
Change and health care are closely interconnected. Health care organizations are continually faced with the need to adapt to change, whether it be advances in medical care or technology, growing demand for care delivery, a patient population that is increasingly active and involved in their own health and well-being, or evolving reimbursement and cost models. By recognizing that change is inevitable in the health care sphere, organizations can focus on …
What makes you an effective change agent in health care?
I was recently asked what I thought was the number one problem that caused unhappiness in America. We are one of the most prosperous nations in history. You might think that with all that prosperity and wealth, Americans would be happy. Obviously, wealth does not equal happiness.
Many would argue that since America has a lot of poor people, it can’t be considered a wealthy nation. But our poor are still …
The one-word secret to happiness
Do you ever feel like time is always slipping away? Do you feel like you hardly get time to enjoy the things you love? For example, do you feel like you get enough time in your day to spend with your kids? If your answer is “no,” welcome to the club. You are not alone! I am a physician mom of young kids who used to feel like I never …
A physician’s guide to getting more time with family
I say that financial independence is bittersweet and you look at me with your jaw slack, your eyes questioning. You scan to the top of my blog, and you see the words “personal finance,” and you’re wondering if I’ve gone slightly daffy.
But then I point to my byline, personal finance with a twist, and continue on my belligerent rant. I have said before that Read more…
For this physician, financial independence is bittersweet
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When I became interested in the financial markets many years ago, I spent many hours and days trying to devise ways to make money in the stock market.
There are many ways that investors try to make money in the stock market, including:
Win at investing by not losing
I did not enjoy dating. It was not fun to figure out who liked me, who didn’t, how did the date go, should I call them, should they call me, how long should I wait, the anxiety of rejection … the list goes on. My husband and I knew each other for years, and although we did not start dating right away, things worked out. I met the love of …
Finding a new physician job is just like dating
High performers constantly struggle with the issue of time management. The more things you are good at, the more people who think you have talent, the more opportunities you are presented with, the harder time management becomes. In order to manage your time, you must first grasp one crucial concept: You cannot “manage time,” you can only manage yourself and how you take advantage of time.
Time will march on no …
The key to time management is the ability to say no
Basketball dreams
I had one dream throughout childhood. (It certainly wasn’t to be a seven-figure failure!)
To play basketball. Now before you start to criticize me for my grandiosity, the goal was more simple. I had no plans of playing in the NBA, or even college for that matter. I had one simple goal-make my high school basketball team.
Easy you say, right? Well, the team was super competitive, and most of my …
This physician wasn’t afraid to fail
I often speak on stages at conferences. I am often the only woman and sit on what some have called “manels.” I love to teach large groups, and I enjoy medical and leadership conferences.
I used to take pride being “the only woman” on stage.
Not anymore.
For years I would be on panels, and I would be the only woman. Many times I was given the “case presentation.” The more serious panel …
It’s time for women physicians to shine on stage
My wife and I have befriended multiple people with struggling marriages. Maybe this shouldn’t be a big surprise given the majority of marriages end in divorce. That said, every time we end up with friends struggling in marriage, it never gets any less challenging. Every single time we run into this challenge, I am reminded of some sage advice I received before I got married: “The three most common causes …
How physicians can save their marriage
Given the current state of health care, I have imagined the following hypothetical conversation between a patient and a doctor:
Patient: “Doctor, I’ve come to learn from reading somewhere that the current overarching goal in my care is for the signs and symptoms of my various conditions to be treated, but not the conditions or diseases themselves. Is this true?”
Doctor: “Well, you know, I would love to treat those conditions and …
Is the physician-patient relationship becoming a provider-client one?
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