Career and Life Planning Guidebook for Medical Residents

SECTION I: T MINUS THREE YEARS Step 3: View your relationship as a (fun!) game you’re playing together. Regardless of your roles, distribution of tasks, or any challenges you might be facing, view your relationship as a (fun!) game you’re playing together. In order to play, you both need to participate, state your terms of how you’ll play, and agree to each other’s terms. Collaboration will be necessary in order to find a good balance and to continue playing. Issues will come up, and they will need to be resolved respectfully. Let love, not fear, guide you in this process. TIP: For ways to express and experience love more attuned to your personalities, check out The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. For some couples discovering their love languages, and their spouse’s, has greatly enhanced their relationship intelligence, their communication, and intimacy. R E A D : Communicating and Making Decisions Outside of your professional pursuits, you’ll be spending time with your partner and making important life decisions together. You both want to enjoy your lives, feel a sense of purpose, and feel fulfilled with your individual, as well as collective pursuits. When searching for career opportunities, it’s important to remember the purpose of it all - a joyful life! A life where you can both have your needs met AND enjoy your time. How do you create your ideal work-life scenario? Adopt the following motto: Thrive, not just survive! Thriving happens because of intentional and agreeable decisions made together. Making decisions about your life together should be a joint activity. You both need to be part of this process. If one person dominates the decision making, then resentment candevelopandcancauseunhappiness for both you and your partner down the line. CAREER AND LIFE PLANNING GUIDEBOOK FOR MEDICAL RESIDENTS 76