Get into medical school. Attend lectures. Write notes. Do assignments. Study for exams. Don’t sleep. Do ward rounds. Get grilled by the Consultants. Do exams. Pass exams. Repeat x 5 years. Graduate. Survive year-long internship. Specialize. See as many patients as possible. Become a Consultant. Start your own practice…why?
Or as Tony Robbins puts it: what is the outcome that this path is designed to achieve?
Is this the only way to achieve that outcome?
Is every component of this pathway 100% essential? Are there any redundancies?
How could we make it better at achieving the outcome?
Would you be willing to kill this pathway for the sake of achieving the outcome?
As Victor Frankl described it:
Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
As the new year approaches, get clear on your outcomes…and then ruthlessly assess everything you do in the light of its ability to help you achieve these outcomes.