Rediscovering Your Why: A Road Map for Physicians

An earlier version of this article appeared on this website in November 2023.

If you ever find yourself questioning whether you’ve chosen the right job, the right specialty, or even the right profession, it may help to know that you’re in good company.

Most physicians go through cycles of doubt, revisiting old decisions when things aren’t going well. Times of stress, exhaustion, or disconnection often trigger these seasons of questioning. This type of critical reflection isn’t a sign of failure. Instead, it’s an opportunity for growth and realignment. And with time and support, it often opens a door to greater clarity and purpose.

Of course, dissatisfaction today doesn’t always mean that you need to make a drastic change tomorrow. Perhaps it’s a signal that it’s time to take a break. It may even be a reminder to keep pushing through. Avoiding unease is not always the best choice. Discomfort can be a sign of growth, and sometimes short-term pain and sacrifices are necessary to get you where you want to go.

But if this seems like a theme song that just won’t stop playing, then it might be time to rediscover your why.

Why Your Why Matters

Often when you feel unfulfilled or frustrated at work or in your personal life, it’s because you are not living a life that feels authentic to you.

❓ Perhaps you are trying to live up to someone else’s ideal

❓Maybe your life has moved in a different direction since you first chose your current path

❓It could be the job itself that has changed or not lived up to your expectations

❓Perhaps you simply need to rediscover the reason that you chose to become a physician so many years ago

"Finding your why" is the process of discovering and understanding the deeper purpose or meaning behind your actions, goals, and choices. It's about identifying the core values and beliefs that drive you and give your life a sense of meaning and fulfillment.

This concept is often associated with personal development and leadership, and it's a key element in the philosophy of Simon Sinek, an author who has been hugely influential in the business world. Sinek argues that successful individuals and organizations are those who are able to articulate and align their actions with a clear sense of purpose or "why." In fact, one of Sinek’s most popular books is called Find Your Why.

The idea is that when you have a clear understanding of why you do what you do, it can serve as a powerful motivator and guide for decision-making. It can help you stay focused, overcome challenges, and find a greater sense of satisfaction at work and in your personal life as well.

As Sinek puts it

⭐ Your why is your driving force

⭐ Your how is the actions that you take to bring your why to life

⭐ Your what is the manifestation of your why—the actual work that you do

Once you understand your why, everything else starts to make sense. Your decisions will become clearer and your actions more purposeful and meaningful.

Coming Home to Your Why

Knowing your why is so integral to being a physician that it’s surprising this concept is not routinely taught in medical schools. Discovering your why is not a “one and done”, check-it-off-the-list sort of thing, but it’s logical and easy to understand.

Finding your why involves introspection and reflection. It means clarifying your own unique values, passions, and the impact you want to make on the world. It’s about you, and not somebody else’s version of you. It means going beyond your surface-level goals and digging deeper into the fundamental reasons that drive your choices and actions today.

If those goals and values are different than they were when you started the journey, that’s normal and healthy. Keep excavating until you discover your own truth.

Unearthing Your Why, One Page at a Time

To help you find your why, get a piece of paper or a journal and start writing. You could do this on your computer or your tablet, but writing by hand tends to engage the brain more fully than typing on a keyboard. If paper isn’t your thing, a writable tablet like the Remarkable is a great alternative. Most importantly, choose a method and a time that works for you.

Over the next few weeks, consider taking a few minutes every morning or evening to discover the patterns and thoughts that arise. Here are some questions to get you started. You don’t need to take on all of them. Just pick and choose what is calling to you.

🔍 What do I find fulfilling about my current job?

🔍 What do I not like about my current job?

🔍 What values do I seek to honor in my work and in my life?

🔍 What other goals and aspirations, professional and personal, do I have?

🔍 What are my strengths, my natural talents, my soft skills?

🔍 What strengths and talents would I like to develop further?

🔍 What are the common ideas and threads that run through my life over the years?

🔍 What makes me happy at work, at home, and in my private life?

🔍 What do people thank me for?

🔍 What do I enjoy teaching?

🔍 What do I enjoy learning?

🔍 What keeps me up at night?

🔍 What moves me to take action?

🔍 What is my ideal day?

After sitting with your reflections for a few weeks, try distilling what you’ve discovered into a single, powerful sentence—a personal mission statement that captures the heart of your why. You might start by asking: What do I want to contribute? What kind of impact do I hope to have?

There’s no need for it to be perfect—or permanent. This isn’t about meeting anyone else’s expectations. It’s about articulating something that feels true to you. Your statement may evolve as you allow it room to breathe, but by simply starting, you’ll begin to align your goals with a deeper sense of purpose.

When you know your why, it can shift everything, bringing your actions into alignment with your values and your deeper self. In this way, your own North Star begins to emerge: steady, clear, and sustaining.

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 P.S. If you want to learn more about defining your values, click here to sign up for my free Values Workbook.

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If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

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Define Your Values to Create Your Ideal Life a Physician

Your values are integral to your identity. They are a very personal and multifaceted set of foundational qualities that have the power to provide a guiding light, leading you towards a life that feels in harmony with your true and ideal self. While they are a fundamental aspect of the complex person that you are, external pressures, social circumstances, and even inertia mean that it’s common to live out of sync with your values. But once you give your values a name, the way forward becomes far more clear.

Most of the time we can distill our core values into a set of five or six concepts that give our life meaning and purpose. In this article I’ll guide you through a simple exercise that can help you to get clarity on your own values. From there, you may begin to see patterns of alignment, or perhaps misalignment, in your life.

Through this process of awareness, you’ll find that your decisions become more clear. You’ll begin to feel the confidence to say “yes” to the opportunities that serve your higher purpose. You’ll find a way to energetically reach towards the next foothold, even when it’s challenging. And you’ll feel more certain when you say “no” to those choices that are not the right fit.

First, Define Your Values

The first step is to define your values. This might seem a little contrived, because you may feel as if you know yourself well enough to understand what matters to you. But putting a name to your values, and seeing them written out in black and white, can be surprisingly enlightening. For the purposes of this exercise, a value is a single word that encompasses an idea or belief in a certain way of being in the world. I’ve created a list of values for you to get started with. You can find them here.

Go through the list and circle the values that speak most strongly to you. Don’t overthink it. Your values may change over time, and that’s completely normal. There are no right or wrong, or good or bad, answers.

Once you have circled your top values, write them out. Take a good look at what you have written and see if you can narrow them down into five groups. From there, discover what themes emerge. These are your core values.

Next, Put Your Values into Action

Now, thinking about your core values, consider how you might choose to elevate these values in your daily life. Don’t try to make sweeping changes. Instead, think of small actions or choices that might more completely align your values with your life.

If there is a big disconnect between your values and your life, it might be time to reconsider your path. It is often challenging to get a handle on these ideas and put them into practice. If so, a physician coach can be a great ally. Through coaching, you will generate greater self-awareness and discover options and opportunities that more completely align with your unique set of values.

If you’re not ready for coaching, but want some clarity, consider downloading my free Values Workbook. It’s free when you sign up for my newsletter.

An earlier version of this article appeared on this website in January , 2023.

If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’d like to schedule a complimentary introductory meeting with me, click the link below.