Begin by making small corrections at first and celebrate these victories. Once you hear a whisper of that negative inner voice, stop what you are doing, take a few deep breaths, and change it immediately to an affirmative, confident voice. Begin the process of creating a positive and encouraging environment in your home and at work. Once you recognize the behavior, look at the patterns that got you there. Are you routinely procrastinating? Ask yourself, are you not moving forward on a goal because the “time is not right”? Are you constantly chastising yourself? You must take a moment and reflect on some of your self-destructive habits. The first step toward stopping the self-sabotaging is to notice that you are doing it. Unfortunately, it gets in the way from true growth. These actions fail to address problems at home or at work. This can include overeating due to stress or medicating ourselves with drugs or alcohol. There are innumerable ways we sabotage ourselves. Putting yourself down hinders your well-being, and frankly, results in physician burnout. Self-sabotage can interfere with your best intentions and best-laid plans.
#Most men live lives of quiet desperation how to
How to Overcome a Life of Quiet Desperation 1. They have accepted and surrendered to their circumstances. These individuals living a life of quiet desperation have become frustrated with the work, passive in their relationships, and apathetic toward reaching their goals.
We see it every day, if not in ourselves, in our colleagues and our friends in medicine. This is a horrible place to be but an oh so common place for many in healthcare. When we misplace our ideas of success, we resign ourselves to lead a life of quiet desperation. Still not convinced, we continue gathering only to have to work more to gather more in pursuit of this “satisfaction.” Quiet Desperation Leads to Resignation As we collect more and more items, we still hadn’t found satisfaction that you promised yourself when you reached this stage of your career. We reached this place of comfort and security and realize that you are not comfortable, nor do you have a sense of security and wake up many mornings not even satisfied.įor many of us, we fill this void by gathering things.
Now, after seemingly putting your life on pause for the better part of a decade. After residency, I successfully completed a medical toxicology fellowship, which propelled me to my “ultimate prize” of attending physician status. Once there, the next “prize” was getting into the “perfect” residency. Throughout high school and college, the “prize” was medical school. So I became laser-focused on that pursuit. Take a moment to reflect on your life’s trajectory that got you to where you are today.įor me, I knew I wanted to enter medicine during my freshman year in high school. We, as physicians and nurses, can relate to this. In Thoreau’s book Walden, he remarks perfectly when he writes, “most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.” Thoreau argues, and I agree, that we live a life of quiet desperation when we attempt to fill it with things such as money, personal possessions, and the pursuit of accolades.
#Most men live lives of quiet desperation full
I want your cup not only to be full but to be overflowing. I want you to learn, grow, and thrive in medicine and your personal life. No more, my friends! Here at Medicine Revived, I want you to lead a life of fulfillment, joy, and continued growth. Unfortunately, many of our brothers and sisters in medicine have resigned themselves to the life of quiet desperation and stagnated and ultimately leading to a life of burnout. Physicians and nurses can relate to this life of quiet desperation. I came across this quote from Henry David Thoreau some time ago and saw so many parallels to it as it relates to us in medicine. “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” – Henry David Thoreau
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