Career and Life Planning Guidebook for Medical Residents

interact with and treat those fellow team members will truly set the framework for your work support network; don’t underestimate this! 13. Learn fromAdversity and Defeat “Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success.” This quote byC.L Lewis is a simple reminder that failure and pain are one language through which nature speaks to every living creature, pointing out mistakes. Realize that the turning point at which you begin to attain success is usually defined by some form of defeat or failure. We learn the most important and profound lessons from our mistakes; lean into the feelings and lessons generated from them and be wise enough to build up on them toward your success. 14. Cultivate Creative Vision Creative vision requires you to stimulate your imagination to work toward your definite major purpose and to put the results of that imagination to work. This is an opportunity for you truly define what your destination on this journey is. Hereyouwill use all the tools we’ve reviewed with you and harness those lessons you’ve spent years learning to determine your desired outcome. Always remember that, with any journey, you should be open to the road less traveled. 15. Maintain Sound Health Thehealthofyourmindandbodycannotbeseparated. Anything that affects the soundness of your mind will affect your body, and anything that affects your body will touch your mind. As we often remind our patients, if you don’t put gas in your tank, your car won’t run. None of the tools you’ve gained here or through your training will work as expected if you are too weary to wield them. Our chapter on wellness will review strategies for making the office less daunting and help you create strategies for incorporating self-care into your everyday routing. Invest in yourself…. you’re worth it! 16. Budget Your Time and Money Time and money are precious resources, and few people striving for success ever believe they possess either one in excess. Understanding how you use them is an important part of evaluating your progress toward success and analyzing what may be holding you back. Just asyou have spent years learning howto be efficient in time management, apply some of that same discipline to your finances. Use the resources outlined in several chapters on budgeting, finances, and time management to cultivate skills for these two precious commodities. 17. Use Cosmic Habit Force You are where you are and what you are because of your established habits. Cosmic habit force is the law which makes every living creature, every particle of matter, subject to the influence of its environment. By definition,we tend to reproducehabits that are familiar, but not necessarilyhealthy. This is seen day in and day out in the practice of medicine; in fact, you are likely very adept at identifying your patientswho struggle to make meaningful change in their healthcare because of habit. However, this is a power that can be used for good instead of bad. By being self-aware and using the tools outlined in this guidebook, you can identify your habits, both healthy and not-so healthy, and decide which tools you chose to move forward with and which ones to leave behind on your journey into attending life. SECTION I: T MINUS THREE YEARS CAREER AND LIFE PLANNING GUIDEBOOK FOR MEDICAL RESIDENTS 18