283. From The Right Way to a Preference List

What if there isn’t one right way to do things, but many?

Letting go of being right can open the door to creativity, flexibility, and even liberation.

This episode offers a mindful and compassionate reframe: seeing our approaches as preferences—shaped by our experiences, values, and identities. 

Pearls of Wisdom:

• Softening into the idea of preferences fosters collaboration, both in medicine and at home.
• Mindfulness helps us notice when judgment or irritation is a sign of unmet preferences.
• Letting go of the need to be ‘right’ invites deeper trust, compassion, and innovation.
• Seeing differences as diversity—not wrongness—can transform teams, relationships, and institutions.

Reflection Questions:

• Where in your life are you attached to doing things the “right way”?
• How might it feel to see your way as simply your preference?
• Whose preferences might you be overlooking at work or at home?
• What would it look like to honor your own preferences without needing agreement?
• How might this create more peace and possibility in your relationships?

If you'd like support shifting from perfectionism to preference, or from rigidity to freedom, we would love to work with you. Jessie offers 1:1 mindful coaching and retreat experiences that integrate exactly these insights—visit www.jessiemahoneymd.com/coaching and www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreats to explore upcoming options. End-of-year CME can be available with virtual coaching.

We also speak and teach on these topics to healthcare teams, medical institutions, and professional conferences. To bring this mindful conversation about preferences, teamwork, and connection to your organization, learn more about inviting us to speak:
Jessie Mahoney, MD: www.jessiemahoneymd.com/speaking
Ni-Cheng Liang, MD: www.awakenbreath.org

Nothing shared in the Healing Medicine Podcast is medical advice.