SELF IMPROVEMENT

We have all had bad days when things just did not go smooth. The type of day where no amount of planning or focus can make things click. It may have been that phone call in the morning that did or did not come, a restless night, an employee that isn’t up to par that day, or maybe everyones biorhythms are just out of sync.

The possibilities are endless……….

The type of day that makes you forget what you found passionate about your work, an unrewarding day and full of frustration.

The type of day that makes it important to frequently take a self evaluation of what you are doing, why you are doing it, what you had to do to get there, and what it cost you or you have lost along the way.

Success works in peculiar ways.

Freidson wrote an article, “Profession of Medicine:  A Study of the Sociology of Applied Knowledge”, almost 40 years ago.

The article discusses 5 physician traits and what makes us do what we do.

1. Do physicians believe in what they are doing?

2..Do physicians prefer action, even with little chance of success, over no action at  all?

3. Do physicians see apparent cause/effect relationships even in their absence?

4. Do physicians depend more on personal judgments than on empirical evidence?

5. Do physicians chalk it up to chance, when things go wrong?

These questions can be easily applied to all of us. It does not matter if you are a nurse, banker, school teacher or parent. Deep inside we all have unique reasons for why we do what we do.

All of us should take time, periodically, to step back and do a self analysis. Reflect on why we do what we do. It is easy to get stuck in our daily routines and forget what brought us to this point in our careers, relationships, and life.

Do we still have the same passion for what we do? Are we able to change with the system? Is it still worth the less than optimal days that go with all aspects of life? Do we still awaken with the same attraction that was there in the beginning? Has it lost its glamour? Do you love it as much as you once did?

If you find the passion is still there, don’t let the “bad stuff” get in the way of the life that you want to live. Look at the “bad stuff” as tools to help you tweak the system for a better tomorrow.