Many are not feeling ok right now.

So much pain and hardship in the practice of medicine right now.

Sending love and compassion to each and every one of my colleagues in medicine.

“Do not ask your children

to strive for extraordinary lives.

Such striving may seem admirable,

but it is the way of foolishness.

Help them instead to find the wonder

and the marvel of an ordinary life.

A long-time client shared a mantra she has been practicing -- “may I find my path.”

What a kind way to explore your next steps.

Realizing that there is no urgency.

Allowing and giving yourself permission to explore

That is the first step.

If we realize that inherently things are both good and bad and, for the most part, 50/50 —we can use this to our advantage. We can focus on what is in our control- how we experience the 50/50. This is how we shift the balance and impact our lived experience of our one “wild and precious life.”

What if you “unbecame” all that you were not, let go of striving, and instead chose to be soft, gentle, spacious, buoyant?

It's helpful to have a coach who has experienced your training, and who has insight into the medical culture. It doesn't solve all your problems, but it will help you to see yourself as more capable and leave behind perspectives that limit your perception of your self-worth and your capacity to improve.”

Sometimes life throws out a lot of swirl.

And pausing and being present in the swirl is part of the journey.

Rushing to solve and fix and decide is tempting but it often means you miss the offered lesson and growth.

I had the best vacation this week. I say this not to brag. But to share the secret. And to my dear family who reads this please don’t take offense. It is a reflection on being human and my own evolution...not on any of you.

Happy National Doctors Day to all my colleagues in medicine. I am deeply committed to supporting all of you. Supporting you has been my passion since I was a chief resident in 2001. I never understood why the culture of medicine does not encourage taking care of its healers and taking care of each other as healers.

I was inspired to share this after a conversation with my dear friend and colleague Dr. Ni-Cheng Liang last week.

I had a down day the day we spoke.

She encouraged me to share my down day.

Feeling hope and peace inspires me into action. Opens my brain to creativity

My heart to connection. Tapping into hope, peace, connection and inner wisdom is what led to my transformation.

It led to choices that reflected hope. Of a life not yet seen.

These last few years I have been doing so many new things I have never done before —building a business, helping to run a mindful healthcare collective, starting a podcast, teaching yoga on zoom, writing a blog, running coaching programs within Pause and Presence and for institutions. They all involved a lot of discomfort and hard work and they all also involved and led to fun.

In coach training I was introduced to the specific thought: “discomfort is the currency of your dreams.”

This thought inspired me to embrace discomfort rather than resist it.

But, because we all have unique brains, it wasn’t a great thought for me personally. It invoked a bit of stress AND it wasn’t strong enough to inspire me to action. This is what a coach helps you learn to see.

Life is not perfect by any means - that is not how it is supposed to be.

I like to call it “mostly good.”

“Mostly good” allows my brain to relax and enjoy the ride.

I often get asked how I became such a model of calm and presence.

"What you practice grows."

Feeling calm and present isn't about working hard, being persistent, or "pushing through." It is about changing your outlook.