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When You Can’t See Where You’re Heading

“A meandering path, often unicursal, with a singular path leading to a center.” That’s how the Labyrinth Society defines the walking maze that is their namesake. What’s interesting to me is that the path is both singular—as in there’s one right way to the end—yet also...

Taking Comfort in the “I Don’t Know Hallway”

Like most toddlers on their first day of preschool, I don’t like uncertainty. In fact, I tend to flee from it. A pending lab test that might be serious. Whether I’ll get Covid and be unable to attend that upcoming family event. If I should stay or leave my current job...

The Three Categories of Time

I had a mini epiphany recently. I realized there are three basic categories of time: Productive: many work tasks (but not all), completing a task at home, achieving a specific personal or professional goalNon-productive and enriching: sleep, physical activity, being...

Dream Big, Then Get Practical

May 6, 2022

It is so easy to lose sight of your dreams. Remember the passion that once kindled your interest in your field, or a particular hobby, or in mastering a sport or skill? For me, and for many of the physicians I’ve worked with, it’s not so much about forgetting a dream...

“Boundaries are for me too.”

May 5, 2022

“Boundaries are for me too.” This statement represented a huge breakthrough for the physician I was coaching, a bright, accomplished subspecialist surgeon whose career was halted by exhaustion due to an untenable work situation exacerbated by the pandemic. Her words...

Returning Joy to the Practice of Medicine

Apr 19, 2022

I was so honored to be invited to a conversation recently with Master Certified Coach Jill Farmer on her podcast, DocWorking: The Whole Physician Podcast, which focuses on exploring ways to embrace life AND a medical career.

Burnout, I Thank You

Apr 12, 2022

Our profession often sends the message that we are invincible heroes. I lapped that up. There was something so seductive about denying pesky human requirements, like sleep, regular exercise, and time to decompress.

The Mindset Change You Need Today and My One Big Regret

Mar 7, 2022

Here’s what I wish I had thought when in training and practice: “Hey, wait a minute. Hold on here. I deserve a life!” I wish I had questioned whether all that self-sacrifice was necessary, healthy, and a good long-term strategy. Instead, I put my head down, pushed...

You’re tied to an approach to life that no longer serves you. How long will you stay there?

Jan 28, 2022

Picture a motor boat in the harbor.
Imagine that you jump in, turn the key, and start gunning the motor. Its engine is going full force, it’s working hard and churning water like crazy. Yet it’s going nowhere. No forward movement at all. Why?

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Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH, PCC

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