Have you ever done something that you were certain you could never do? Something that had you saying “it’s not who I am, I’m not a …runner, intermittent faster, pet owner, manager, writer?
And then something happens and you find yourself starting to actually do the thing that you thought was impossible for the person you are?
Maybe you thought you could never work nights (I’m still holding this to be true for myself).
Maybe you thought you could never be a full time working mom.
Maybe you thought you could never work ortho, or peds, or oncology.
Maybe you thought you could never lose weight or give up sugar.
Maybe you thought you could never exercise consistently.
Maybe you thought you would never ever eat fish.
Maybe you thought you could never watch someone vomit without vomiting yourself.
Maybe you thought you could never speak in front of a crowd, or sit still and listen.
We think it’s just “who we are”.
I am sure that everyone has something that they thought they could never do but then our circumstances change and we stretch and grow into a new version of ourselves. Through little steps and a slight crack in our firm belief of it being impossible, we start to practice a new identity, an identity of the person who DOES do those things. And little by little, we find ourselves stepping into new shoes, and shoes that fit surprisingly well.
You may think, “nope, not me” but I challenge you to think back to something that you changed your mind on and then, your ability to do something previously unheard of, changed. Maybe it’s something you did for yourself, or maybe it’s something that you were compelled to do for a loved one.
It’s an important exercise to see that we AREN’T confined to some predetermined setting, some immovable steel cage. Even parts of us that feel hardwired can be changed.
It’s not just “who we are”. Even when it feels this way, it’s not true. We get to determine who we are.
Period.
You may be wondering what this has to do with working in healthcare.
It’s the secret first step to feeling better at work, a step that will hopefully become less secret.
Many of us hold as an infallible truth that it is impossible to feel better at work if the system doesn’t change. These are some of the things that feel true.
We can’t feel fulfilled at work when being pulled in 10 directions.
We can never do a good job when we have all the patients and all the responsibilities that we do.
We need other people to change if the culture and environment is going to change.
What we are being asked to do is too much for one person.
We can’t be expected to feel passionate about work when we are underappreciated.
We can’t feel better when the people in charge don’t know what they are doing.
We can’t give good care when the insurance companies are making decisions for us.
We can’t be content because nothing is ever going to change.
We could be happy if the patients had reasonable expectations.
Maybe you can feel the heaviness of these “truths” as you read them. Maybe they aren’t exactly what you are feeling but they bring up other work beliefs for you.
So here’s the secret. We just have to start by believing that maybe, just maybe, we could be the people who can do a good job with all the patients and all the responsibilities. Maybe we can be ok even if the people in charge don’t know what they’re doing. Maybe we can feel fulfilled, even when being pulled in multiple directions.
We have evidence that we have changed in the past when we thought it was impossible. That’s why we start there.
We have to make a crack in the impermeable wall that these “truths” about work create. Once the crack is there, we can wiggle our way into becoming the person that feeling better at work is a reality for.
Yup, it takes time.
Yup, it takes intention and continued self-reminding.
Yup, it works.
Just sit for a minute and imagine how amazing it will feel to be that person.
How great would it be to feel in control and satisfied at work, regardless of what your day looked like?
You already have it in you, you don’t have to become a “new” person, just an updated version of yourself.
If you want to.
But why wouldn’t you want to?
Having trouble believing that it is possible for this to be you? I can help you build that belief and start feeling better at work, despite your work situation. Don't put yourself off any longer. Click here to schedule a consult call.