M ost of us entered the field and embraced the practice of medicine because we had a desire to heal. Our fascination with biological science, human anatomy and function, and medical advances via the scientific method of study sustained us through the long and often grueling sojourn of medical training. Physical and mental exhaustion, fear, anxiety, self doubt and occasional despair were a shared, although usually unspoken, bond common to all in the medical fraternity of healers. These negatives were balanced by the exhilaration we felt as proficiency in physical examination, laboratory and diagnostic interpretation and treatment implementation blossomed. The intense emotions evoked within physicians during the sometimes desperate quest to control, reverse, or cure illness exemplify the sanctity and privilege of the doctor-patient relationship. Grateful patients and societal prestige validated the worth of our efforts and sacrifices. Patients whose deterioration or demise occurred through virulent infection, rampaging neoplasms, cardiovascular insult or trauma caused us sadness and anguish. They reminded us of the frail and tenuous nature of human existence. They were also glaring reminders of the limitations of “modern medicine.” However, they were not harbingers of possible accusation and litigation. Patients accepted the inescapable reality that sickness and eventual mortality are the natural order of the universe. Physicians were expected to perform to their best abilities and alleviate suffering whenever possible. We were trusted advisors, mentors and benevolent paternal figures. Esteemed, trusted, loved and adequately compensated. So, what happened? Why has it become us against them? How are we to maintain our integrity along with our desire to heal and cure against the tide of distrust, challenge, hostility, insatiable patient and bureaucratic demands, and diminishing monetary remuneration? It sure isn’t easy! Simply stated, we must keep the faith and save face or all is lost. Our ability to heal will be lost. Our personal well being and health destroyed. Survival Tips While I eschew much of the scenario described above, I am convinced that it is we who possess the intellect, passion and tools to reverse the disease that is infecting physicians — the illness of despair. Basic human survival and instinct seek to destroy that which is a threat to our survival. Anger, anxiety, fear, fatigue and withdrawal are normal and expected reactions to attack. They are adaptive when situational, but devastatingly erosive when persistent. We must prevail for our survival. Here are some thoughts and survival tips to keep us going and regain what remains a cherished privilege and not a noble quest entirely lost in a sea of futility. • Remember who you are and why you chose this field. We must not lose site of our fundamental principles as human beings. Take a few moments, and stare meaningfully into a mirror. Look beyond the wrinkles, thinning hair, cutaneous laxity and furrows of worry (Botox users excluded). Stare deeper, and ask yourself if you like who you see. Monetary success, bitterness, triumphant revenge never begets happiness. Adherence to principles, oathes, and faith, usually do. Choose to see the positive aspects of your life. Recognize and nurture the innate human tendency to seek and embrace those things that bring us true pleasure. Make a conscious choice to avoid misery. Misery loves company; misery especially loves miserable company. This is not a company that you need to invest in — it will only leave you emotionally bankrupt. • Have an affair: remember (or learn) what excites you. Let me not be misunderstood. I am not advocating marital infidelity. Drudgery, negativity, monotonous routine and boredom extinguish the flames of excitement. Excitement and enthusiasm can flourish regardless of age, infirmity or life circumstance. Affairs need not be sexual nor must they imply betrayal. Affairs do imply infatuation, mystery, novelty and passion. The perfect “mistress” often sleeps beside us each night. My point is that we can rekindle old passions and discover new ones without abandoning those people and things we love. Take a course, try a new sport, perhaps resume an old one, read a book or a journal, or find a new hobby. A fresh look allows that which has become old and mundane to look and feel new. Look meaningfully into the eyes of others and see what you’ve been missing. • Don’t yield to temptation at the expense of integrity. In other words if it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. Don’t allow yourself to be railroaded by the “gurus” of practice survival. If Botox, lasers, injectable fillers and hair transplants aren’t your cup of tea, don’t be forced to swallow. Practicing the kind of medicine that “turns you on” will pay off best in the long term. The pay off will be in personal and patient satisfaction, less anxiety and ability to save face. Monetary reward may vary, but no amount of money can buy inner peace and integrity. • Realize why patients do the things they do. Difficult and demanding patients are usually driven by fear, anger, misinformation and unrealistic expectation. Yes, there are the occasional insatiable demanding narcissists or truly mean human beings. They are the ones who drain us and attempt to rob our faith in humanity. They don’t deserve it. If we keep the faith, we can often assuage the negativity of difficult patients and convert them into our loyal allies and champions of our profession. The process can be fun, emotionally rewarding for us, and therapeutically essential for them. • Realize who ultimately holds the cards. We hold most of them, patients hold a few, and that’s okay. Despite the many constraints on our professional autonomy, we still make the vast majority of medical decisions. Control and a sense of power are essential ingredients for happiness and emotional equilibrium. Disease or dysfunction challenges one’s sense of control and elicits anxiety. Self diagnosis and treatment demands are attempts to deal with fear, not challenges to our authority and competence. They often come to us armed and overwhelmed with Web-found facts. However, no quantity of Internet material will ever afford our patients our body of knowledge and perspective on patient care. Thus, the reality is that they need us. We know it and, ultimately at the end of the day, they know it. The answer is not to antagonize and rub this in their faces. Better, look at your cards, make your educated recommendations and feel your sense of power and control as you play your hand. Allow the patient to feel as if he or she is part of the decision process and even triumphant if the patient’s “demands” are met. It’s ok when both parties win — that way there are no losers. • Command respect without hostility. Anger is a natural, and at times, inevitable, response. It can be triggered (elicited) by stress, personal or physical insult, unfair accusation, excessive demands and implied incompetence (to name a few). However, intense, prolonged anger or impulsive words or actions in response to anger can lead to devastating consequences. Prolonged anger erodes happiness and probably harms organs. It consumes energy, leads to fatigue, saps enthusiasm and negatively affects those we interact with. Don’t allow anger to become a pervasive force in your life. Sure, much in life is not fair, but who ever claimed it was? Really, the price of anger is misery and destruction. Anger can be minimized by modifying our internal dialogues. It’s this internal “self-talk” about life events that determine our emotional reaction rather than the event itself. Your self-talk determines when you’ve been treated unjustly and how drastically egregious the offense has been. The greater the offense, the more anger you believe you are entitled and obligated to experience. This is a modifiable response. Viewing unfair life events and difficult people as unpleasant rather than catastrophic can minimize the anger you experience. Tell difficult patients that you understand their frustration and apologize if appropriate. If this proves ineffective and it’s clear they aren’t going to be reasonable, inform them in a firm, non-hostile manner that you cannot care for them with their level of anger or antagonism. This is often met with an apology. If not, consider dismissing them from the practice according to the guidelines suggested by your medical society and liability carrier. Controlling your anger will lead to better outcomes and improve your emotional and physical survival. It really is your choice! • Find avenues to manage your stress. Physician, heal thyself. Yoga, exercise, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, massage, golf, tennis, fishing, bridge, family, friends, religious affiliation, travel, adult education, pets, hobbies, crafts, etc. Search for new and interesting ways to enrich your life and reduce stress. Everyone in your world will benefit. • Redefine happiness. Many of us had spoken or unspoken beliefs that we would be happy when . . . we finished medical school, residency, got a job, had a child, bought a house, got a fancy car, achieved a savings goal. But what all too often happens is that each achievement is simply replaced by another, and the targets become vaguer. How much will be needed for our children’s schooling, weddings, retirement? Which social group, professional recognition, cherished object will do it? None. The happiness must come from within and start now. You have climbed mountains that few ever attempt to ascend. You are a privileged healer and part of a gifted elite. Simplify your criteria for happiness. Sharpen your senses; enjoy the delight of a momentary olfactory arousal, feel the warmth of a smile, or imprint the image of a rose in your visual cortex. Enjoy with total delight the sensations of a gentle tactile experience. It’s all there for the taking, you just aren’t paying attention. Happiness can be found everywhere; you just have to look hard enough. What will be your epitaph? Must we wait for gravestone inscriptions and touching eulogy eloquence to capture the essence of our contributions in life? Even worse, what if the most accurate epitaph is “angry, bitter, despised . . . but economically savvy”? I believe we should write our epitaph each day. It will allow you to live better and possibly longer. All too often, moments of existential clarity occur only when we are faced with life-altering, challenging times of stress or illness. Perhaps this is one of those times that can lead to positive changes in our perspective and behavior. Happiness, security and emotional comfort are not necessarily contingent on purely external factors. Declarations, such as “I will be happy when,” are self-deceptive and destined to be inevitably replaced with another external toy or milestone. Happiness must be now. Make the time to focus on and embrace those people, places, activities, and things that bring you happiness, comfort and meaning in the here and now. Give genuinely of yourself and the rewards will still far outweigh the negatives. Your encounters of the day, both with yourself in the mirror and with the many faces of patients, family, employees, friends, and colleagues will bring more meaningful pleasure and less stress, futility and fatigue. So, keep the faith, save face. Happiness is possible.
Is Happiness Possible in Modern Medicine?
M ost of us entered the field and embraced the practice of medicine because we had a desire to heal. Our fascination with biological science, human anatomy and function, and medical advances via the scientific method of study sustained us through the long and often grueling sojourn of medical training. Physical and mental exhaustion, fear, anxiety, self doubt and occasional despair were a shared, although usually unspoken, bond common to all in the medical fraternity of healers. These negatives were balanced by the exhilaration we felt as proficiency in physical examination, laboratory and diagnostic interpretation and treatment implementation blossomed. The intense emotions evoked within physicians during the sometimes desperate quest to control, reverse, or cure illness exemplify the sanctity and privilege of the doctor-patient relationship. Grateful patients and societal prestige validated the worth of our efforts and sacrifices. Patients whose deterioration or demise occurred through virulent infection, rampaging neoplasms, cardiovascular insult or trauma caused us sadness and anguish. They reminded us of the frail and tenuous nature of human existence. They were also glaring reminders of the limitations of “modern medicine.” However, they were not harbingers of possible accusation and litigation. Patients accepted the inescapable reality that sickness and eventual mortality are the natural order of the universe. Physicians were expected to perform to their best abilities and alleviate suffering whenever possible. We were trusted advisors, mentors and benevolent paternal figures. Esteemed, trusted, loved and adequately compensated. So, what happened? Why has it become us against them? How are we to maintain our integrity along with our desire to heal and cure against the tide of distrust, challenge, hostility, insatiable patient and bureaucratic demands, and diminishing monetary remuneration? It sure isn’t easy! Simply stated, we must keep the faith and save face or all is lost. Our ability to heal will be lost. Our personal well being and health destroyed. Survival Tips While I eschew much of the scenario described above, I am convinced that it is we who possess the intellect, passion and tools to reverse the disease that is infecting physicians — the illness of despair. Basic human survival and instinct seek to destroy that which is a threat to our survival. Anger, anxiety, fear, fatigue and withdrawal are normal and expected reactions to attack. They are adaptive when situational, but devastatingly erosive when persistent. We must prevail for our survival. Here are some thoughts and survival tips to keep us going and regain what remains a cherished privilege and not a noble quest entirely lost in a sea of futility. • Remember who you are and why you chose this field. We must not lose site of our fundamental principles as human beings. Take a few moments, and stare meaningfully into a mirror. Look beyond the wrinkles, thinning hair, cutaneous laxity and furrows of worry (Botox users excluded). Stare deeper, and ask yourself if you like who you see. Monetary success, bitterness, triumphant revenge never begets happiness. Adherence to principles, oathes, and faith, usually do. Choose to see the positive aspects of your life. Recognize and nurture the innate human tendency to seek and embrace those things that bring us true pleasure. Make a conscious choice to avoid misery. Misery loves company; misery especially loves miserable company. This is not a company that you need to invest in — it will only leave you emotionally bankrupt. • Have an affair: remember (or learn) what excites you. Let me not be misunderstood. I am not advocating marital infidelity. Drudgery, negativity, monotonous routine and boredom extinguish the flames of excitement. Excitement and enthusiasm can flourish regardless of age, infirmity or life circumstance. Affairs need not be sexual nor must they imply betrayal. Affairs do imply infatuation, mystery, novelty and passion. The perfect “mistress” often sleeps beside us each night. My point is that we can rekindle old passions and discover new ones without abandoning those people and things we love. Take a course, try a new sport, perhaps resume an old one, read a book or a journal, or find a new hobby. A fresh look allows that which has become old and mundane to look and feel new. Look meaningfully into the eyes of others and see what you’ve been missing. • Don’t yield to temptation at the expense of integrity. In other words if it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. Don’t allow yourself to be railroaded by the “gurus” of practice survival. If Botox, lasers, injectable fillers and hair transplants aren’t your cup of tea, don’t be forced to swallow. Practicing the kind of medicine that “turns you on” will pay off best in the long term. The pay off will be in personal and patient satisfaction, less anxiety and ability to save face. Monetary reward may vary, but no amount of money can buy inner peace and integrity. • Realize why patients do the things they do. Difficult and demanding patients are usually driven by fear, anger, misinformation and unrealistic expectation. Yes, there are the occasional insatiable demanding narcissists or truly mean human beings. They are the ones who drain us and attempt to rob our faith in humanity. They don’t deserve it. If we keep the faith, we can often assuage the negativity of difficult patients and convert them into our loyal allies and champions of our profession. The process can be fun, emotionally rewarding for us, and therapeutically essential for them. • Realize who ultimately holds the cards. We hold most of them, patients hold a few, and that’s okay. Despite the many constraints on our professional autonomy, we still make the vast majority of medical decisions. Control and a sense of power are essential ingredients for happiness and emotional equilibrium. Disease or dysfunction challenges one’s sense of control and elicits anxiety. Self diagnosis and treatment demands are attempts to deal with fear, not challenges to our authority and competence. They often come to us armed and overwhelmed with Web-found facts. However, no quantity of Internet material will ever afford our patients our body of knowledge and perspective on patient care. Thus, the reality is that they need us. We know it and, ultimately at the end of the day, they know it. The answer is not to antagonize and rub this in their faces. Better, look at your cards, make your educated recommendations and feel your sense of power and control as you play your hand. Allow the patient to feel as if he or she is part of the decision process and even triumphant if the patient’s “demands” are met. It’s ok when both parties win — that way there are no losers. • Command respect without hostility. Anger is a natural, and at times, inevitable, response. It can be triggered (elicited) by stress, personal or physical insult, unfair accusation, excessive demands and implied incompetence (to name a few). However, intense, prolonged anger or impulsive words or actions in response to anger can lead to devastating consequences. Prolonged anger erodes happiness and probably harms organs. It consumes energy, leads to fatigue, saps enthusiasm and negatively affects those we interact with. Don’t allow anger to become a pervasive force in your life. Sure, much in life is not fair, but who ever claimed it was? Really, the price of anger is misery and destruction. Anger can be minimized by modifying our internal dialogues. It’s this internal “self-talk” about life events that determine our emotional reaction rather than the event itself. Your self-talk determines when you’ve been treated unjustly and how drastically egregious the offense has been. The greater the offense, the more anger you believe you are entitled and obligated to experience. This is a modifiable response. Viewing unfair life events and difficult people as unpleasant rather than catastrophic can minimize the anger you experience. Tell difficult patients that you understand their frustration and apologize if appropriate. If this proves ineffective and it’s clear they aren’t going to be reasonable, inform them in a firm, non-hostile manner that you cannot care for them with their level of anger or antagonism. This is often met with an apology. If not, consider dismissing them from the practice according to the guidelines suggested by your medical society and liability carrier. Controlling your anger will lead to better outcomes and improve your emotional and physical survival. It really is your choice! • Find avenues to manage your stress. Physician, heal thyself. Yoga, exercise, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, massage, golf, tennis, fishing, bridge, family, friends, religious affiliation, travel, adult education, pets, hobbies, crafts, etc. Search for new and interesting ways to enrich your life and reduce stress. Everyone in your world will benefit. • Redefine happiness. Many of us had spoken or unspoken beliefs that we would be happy when . . . we finished medical school, residency, got a job, had a child, bought a house, got a fancy car, achieved a savings goal. But what all too often happens is that each achievement is simply replaced by another, and the targets become vaguer. How much will be needed for our children’s schooling, weddings, retirement? Which social group, professional recognition, cherished object will do it? None. The happiness must come from within and start now. You have climbed mountains that few ever attempt to ascend. You are a privileged healer and part of a gifted elite. Simplify your criteria for happiness. Sharpen your senses; enjoy the delight of a momentary olfactory arousal, feel the warmth of a smile, or imprint the image of a rose in your visual cortex. Enjoy with total delight the sensations of a gentle tactile experience. It’s all there for the taking, you just aren’t paying attention. Happiness can be found everywhere; you just have to look hard enough. What will be your epitaph? Must we wait for gravestone inscriptions and touching eulogy eloquence to capture the essence of our contributions in life? Even worse, what if the most accurate epitaph is “angry, bitter, despised . . . but economically savvy”? I believe we should write our epitaph each day. It will allow you to live better and possibly longer. All too often, moments of existential clarity occur only when we are faced with life-altering, challenging times of stress or illness. Perhaps this is one of those times that can lead to positive changes in our perspective and behavior. Happiness, security and emotional comfort are not necessarily contingent on purely external factors. Declarations, such as “I will be happy when,” are self-deceptive and destined to be inevitably replaced with another external toy or milestone. Happiness must be now. Make the time to focus on and embrace those people, places, activities, and things that bring you happiness, comfort and meaning in the here and now. Give genuinely of yourself and the rewards will still far outweigh the negatives. Your encounters of the day, both with yourself in the mirror and with the many faces of patients, family, employees, friends, and colleagues will bring more meaningful pleasure and less stress, futility and fatigue. So, keep the faith, save face. Happiness is possible.
M ost of us entered the field and embraced the practice of medicine because we had a desire to heal. Our fascination with biological science, human anatomy and function, and medical advances via the scientific method of study sustained us through the long and often grueling sojourn of medical training. Physical and mental exhaustion, fear, anxiety, self doubt and occasional despair were a shared, although usually unspoken, bond common to all in the medical fraternity of healers. These negatives were balanced by the exhilaration we felt as proficiency in physical examination, laboratory and diagnostic interpretation and treatment implementation blossomed. The intense emotions evoked within physicians during the sometimes desperate quest to control, reverse, or cure illness exemplify the sanctity and privilege of the doctor-patient relationship. Grateful patients and societal prestige validated the worth of our efforts and sacrifices. Patients whose deterioration or demise occurred through virulent infection, rampaging neoplasms, cardiovascular insult or trauma caused us sadness and anguish. They reminded us of the frail and tenuous nature of human existence. They were also glaring reminders of the limitations of “modern medicine.” However, they were not harbingers of possible accusation and litigation. Patients accepted the inescapable reality that sickness and eventual mortality are the natural order of the universe. Physicians were expected to perform to their best abilities and alleviate suffering whenever possible. We were trusted advisors, mentors and benevolent paternal figures. Esteemed, trusted, loved and adequately compensated. So, what happened? Why has it become us against them? How are we to maintain our integrity along with our desire to heal and cure against the tide of distrust, challenge, hostility, insatiable patient and bureaucratic demands, and diminishing monetary remuneration? It sure isn’t easy! Simply stated, we must keep the faith and save face or all is lost. Our ability to heal will be lost. Our personal well being and health destroyed. Survival Tips While I eschew much of the scenario described above, I am convinced that it is we who possess the intellect, passion and tools to reverse the disease that is infecting physicians — the illness of despair. Basic human survival and instinct seek to destroy that which is a threat to our survival. Anger, anxiety, fear, fatigue and withdrawal are normal and expected reactions to attack. They are adaptive when situational, but devastatingly erosive when persistent. We must prevail for our survival. Here are some thoughts and survival tips to keep us going and regain what remains a cherished privilege and not a noble quest entirely lost in a sea of futility. • Remember who you are and why you chose this field. We must not lose site of our fundamental principles as human beings. Take a few moments, and stare meaningfully into a mirror. Look beyond the wrinkles, thinning hair, cutaneous laxity and furrows of worry (Botox users excluded). Stare deeper, and ask yourself if you like who you see. Monetary success, bitterness, triumphant revenge never begets happiness. Adherence to principles, oathes, and faith, usually do. Choose to see the positive aspects of your life. Recognize and nurture the innate human tendency to seek and embrace those things that bring us true pleasure. Make a conscious choice to avoid misery. Misery loves company; misery especially loves miserable company. This is not a company that you need to invest in — it will only leave you emotionally bankrupt. • Have an affair: remember (or learn) what excites you. Let me not be misunderstood. I am not advocating marital infidelity. Drudgery, negativity, monotonous routine and boredom extinguish the flames of excitement. Excitement and enthusiasm can flourish regardless of age, infirmity or life circumstance. Affairs need not be sexual nor must they imply betrayal. Affairs do imply infatuation, mystery, novelty and passion. The perfect “mistress” often sleeps beside us each night. My point is that we can rekindle old passions and discover new ones without abandoning those people and things we love. Take a course, try a new sport, perhaps resume an old one, read a book or a journal, or find a new hobby. A fresh look allows that which has become old and mundane to look and feel new. Look meaningfully into the eyes of others and see what you’ve been missing. • Don’t yield to temptation at the expense of integrity. In other words if it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. Don’t allow yourself to be railroaded by the “gurus” of practice survival. If Botox, lasers, injectable fillers and hair transplants aren’t your cup of tea, don’t be forced to swallow. Practicing the kind of medicine that “turns you on” will pay off best in the long term. The pay off will be in personal and patient satisfaction, less anxiety and ability to save face. Monetary reward may vary, but no amount of money can buy inner peace and integrity. • Realize why patients do the things they do. Difficult and demanding patients are usually driven by fear, anger, misinformation and unrealistic expectation. Yes, there are the occasional insatiable demanding narcissists or truly mean human beings. They are the ones who drain us and attempt to rob our faith in humanity. They don’t deserve it. If we keep the faith, we can often assuage the negativity of difficult patients and convert them into our loyal allies and champions of our profession. The process can be fun, emotionally rewarding for us, and therapeutically essential for them. • Realize who ultimately holds the cards. We hold most of them, patients hold a few, and that’s okay. Despite the many constraints on our professional autonomy, we still make the vast majority of medical decisions. Control and a sense of power are essential ingredients for happiness and emotional equilibrium. Disease or dysfunction challenges one’s sense of control and elicits anxiety. Self diagnosis and treatment demands are attempts to deal with fear, not challenges to our authority and competence. They often come to us armed and overwhelmed with Web-found facts. However, no quantity of Internet material will ever afford our patients our body of knowledge and perspective on patient care. Thus, the reality is that they need us. We know it and, ultimately at the end of the day, they know it. The answer is not to antagonize and rub this in their faces. Better, look at your cards, make your educated recommendations and feel your sense of power and control as you play your hand. Allow the patient to feel as if he or she is part of the decision process and even triumphant if the patient’s “demands” are met. It’s ok when both parties win — that way there are no losers. • Command respect without hostility. Anger is a natural, and at times, inevitable, response. It can be triggered (elicited) by stress, personal or physical insult, unfair accusation, excessive demands and implied incompetence (to name a few). However, intense, prolonged anger or impulsive words or actions in response to anger can lead to devastating consequences. Prolonged anger erodes happiness and probably harms organs. It consumes energy, leads to fatigue, saps enthusiasm and negatively affects those we interact with. Don’t allow anger to become a pervasive force in your life. Sure, much in life is not fair, but who ever claimed it was? Really, the price of anger is misery and destruction. Anger can be minimized by modifying our internal dialogues. It’s this internal “self-talk” about life events that determine our emotional reaction rather than the event itself. Your self-talk determines when you’ve been treated unjustly and how drastically egregious the offense has been. The greater the offense, the more anger you believe you are entitled and obligated to experience. This is a modifiable response. Viewing unfair life events and difficult people as unpleasant rather than catastrophic can minimize the anger you experience. Tell difficult patients that you understand their frustration and apologize if appropriate. If this proves ineffective and it’s clear they aren’t going to be reasonable, inform them in a firm, non-hostile manner that you cannot care for them with their level of anger or antagonism. This is often met with an apology. If not, consider dismissing them from the practice according to the guidelines suggested by your medical society and liability carrier. Controlling your anger will lead to better outcomes and improve your emotional and physical survival. It really is your choice! • Find avenues to manage your stress. Physician, heal thyself. Yoga, exercise, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, massage, golf, tennis, fishing, bridge, family, friends, religious affiliation, travel, adult education, pets, hobbies, crafts, etc. Search for new and interesting ways to enrich your life and reduce stress. Everyone in your world will benefit. • Redefine happiness. Many of us had spoken or unspoken beliefs that we would be happy when . . . we finished medical school, residency, got a job, had a child, bought a house, got a fancy car, achieved a savings goal. But what all too often happens is that each achievement is simply replaced by another, and the targets become vaguer. How much will be needed for our children’s schooling, weddings, retirement? Which social group, professional recognition, cherished object will do it? None. The happiness must come from within and start now. You have climbed mountains that few ever attempt to ascend. You are a privileged healer and part of a gifted elite. Simplify your criteria for happiness. Sharpen your senses; enjoy the delight of a momentary olfactory arousal, feel the warmth of a smile, or imprint the image of a rose in your visual cortex. Enjoy with total delight the sensations of a gentle tactile experience. It’s all there for the taking, you just aren’t paying attention. Happiness can be found everywhere; you just have to look hard enough. What will be your epitaph? Must we wait for gravestone inscriptions and touching eulogy eloquence to capture the essence of our contributions in life? Even worse, what if the most accurate epitaph is “angry, bitter, despised . . . but economically savvy”? I believe we should write our epitaph each day. It will allow you to live better and possibly longer. All too often, moments of existential clarity occur only when we are faced with life-altering, challenging times of stress or illness. Perhaps this is one of those times that can lead to positive changes in our perspective and behavior. Happiness, security and emotional comfort are not necessarily contingent on purely external factors. Declarations, such as “I will be happy when,” are self-deceptive and destined to be inevitably replaced with another external toy or milestone. Happiness must be now. Make the time to focus on and embrace those people, places, activities, and things that bring you happiness, comfort and meaning in the here and now. Give genuinely of yourself and the rewards will still far outweigh the negatives. Your encounters of the day, both with yourself in the mirror and with the many faces of patients, family, employees, friends, and colleagues will bring more meaningful pleasure and less stress, futility and fatigue. So, keep the faith, save face. Happiness is possible.
