he struggle to juggle one’s career is an eternal
challenge that we all face in life. No matter how accomplished you are
or what position you occupy, every sunrise begins with the never-ending
list of promises to be fulfilled. If we succeed in fulfilling even a
handful of these, we might conclude that the day has been good, and go
to bed with a sense of satisfaction that we have done our best. But more
often than not, the opposite of this is true. We lose control of these
tasks even before we step out of the house. It might be an early morning
call or the first person you meet. Something entirely unexpected comes
up that makes you toss your carefully laid out plans for the day into
the dustbin. My life is no different. As a son, a father, a husband, a
doctor, a teacher and now a leader of Indian Academy of Pediatrics
(IAP), I am straddled with numerous personal and professional
responsibilities. And 24 hours is all that I get in a day to fulfill
them. How I fare on these on any given day depends entirely on how I
handle myself, given that most of the factors are outrightly beyond my
control.
I have often pondered on this existential issue. What
I share with you here is an account of my personal exploration of life.
I am sharing these thoughts mainly with the hope that it will help the
young doctors who are yet to get their feet wet, and give them a clearer
perspective on how to build on their future. One of the first
differentiations I wish to make is between ‘solving’ and
‘understanding.’ Being technical people, we are tempted to look upon
everything from the angle of problem and solution. Yet many of life’s
problems cannot be solved; they can only be understood. We cannot make
problems disappear from our mind, but we can gain an understanding and
try to reorient our thoughts towards deriving a better outcome.
Career Defined
Robert Kiyosaki in his bestselling book ‘Cashflow
Quadrant: Rich Dad’s Guide to Financial Freedom’ presents an interesting
perspective of how careers work [1]. According to him, "the world is
made up of four types of individuals: (i) Employee, (ii)
Self-employed, (iii) Business owner, and (iv) Investor."
Each of these has a distinct strategy and mindset to earn one’s living.
Each has its advantages and disadvantages, and rewards and obligations.
The Employee, for example, needs a secure and well-defined work profile
with the certainty of a paycheck at agreed intervals. The Self-employed
person will sacrifice job security for independence, but needs expertise
in a specific domain, to be sustainable. The Business owner controls an
entire system of delivery of products or services and needs certain top
management skills. Investors simply put their money into revenue earning
streams and make their money earn more money without any personal
involvement. Financial liquidity and sound judgment regarding financial
parameters are their forte.
These roles are distinct. Shifting from one type to
another is not easy, it needs to be accompanied with a corresponding
shift in mindset of the individual. Often this is a life-changing
experience. If you are a teacher in a medical college, you are an
Employee, whereas if you have a private practice, you are Self-employed.
If you own a hospital, you are a Business owner, and if you merely own
shares in a hospital venture, you are an Investor. Practicing doctors
for the most part come under the category of ‘Self-employed.’ You are in
a sense, combining all these roles into one. You provide expert
services, are your own employee, and own a system of delivery in which
you have invested your money. But for all practical purposes, you are
Self-employed because if you decide to take a holiday, so does your
income. An Employee takes a holiday depending on the number of days he
or she is entitled to, without affecting income, and perhaps financed
under the terms of employment. A Business owner can go on leave without
affecting one’s income as there are others to take care of it in one’s
absence. All this does not affect the Investor as one is not at all
involved in the system.
Points to Ponder
Herein lies the point. Once you enter into private
practice, your personal presence at the place of work becomes the focal
point of your career. You become a 24x7 professional with a few hours
for sleep thrown in. In order to maintain and succeed in this portfolio,
one needs a specific set of skills, apart from professional expertise
that is uncompromisable. I have already previously elaborated on career
planning in regard to professional expertise [2]. Thus I shall only deal
with the life skills needed to reach one’s best potential as a
professional.
1. Utilize time: As doctors, our lives are
hectic. My own day begins at 5:00 in the morning and ends not before
11:00 p.m. And then there are the night calls. This is true not just
for me but for almost any doctor. This goes on day in and day out
seven days a week, and there are very few holidays. So how do we
make ends meet? How do we manage to achieve our goals without
feeling overwhelmed, overburdened or overworked? We have the
knowledge and the skills, but what we lack is time. Why kill time
when you can make it work for you? Very few people are skilled in
time management. In fact, ‘time management’ itself is a misnomer.
Nobody can really manage time. Time is a fixed entity and everyone’s
day has the same numbers of hours, minutes and seconds. What we have
to manage is ourselves; our activities and our priorities to fit the
available time. If each of us took even a little more out of time
every day, our chances of success in our endeavors increase
drastically.
2. Be organized and disciplined: Being
organized and disciplined is the key to everything, especially in
managing time. Maintain work-life balance. That means finding time
for your family and loved ones too. Neglecting any aspect of life
will prove costly one day. Take time to envision the future and
prioritize activities accordingly. Every minute counts!
3. Stay focused: Prioritize well.
Do only one thing at a time and give the task your heart and soul.
Only then the results will be optimum with one-time effort. This
again relates to time management and being organized. All these are
interrelated ideas and behaviors. Whatever you are doing, give it
your 100%.
4. Plan your money: People think
doctors make a lot of money. In reality, we are only struggling to
balance our income with our way forward. Financial problems directly
and negatively impact our performance. Unless we manage our money
properly, we cannot manage our lives. Good budgeting and timely
investments in income-earning assets can secure our future. Our
investments should be safe, and mainly in domains that do not
require daily involvement. While doing so, take care not to
overreach or be driven by greed. Passive income and steady growth
are preferable to high-risk and high-involvement investments.
5. Develop people: Develop the second
line; train and trust your subordinates with your personal
involvement. Actively mentor your juniors and build a team that
works equally well even in your absence. This is the only way you
can move forward in your career. Many of us like to feel important
and make ourselves indispensable. This attitude can actually work
against us, and will be standing in one’s own way. Do not be
irreplaceable – if you cannot be replaced, you cannot be promoted to
higher roles.
These are the five principles which have helped me in
life, and I am sure it will help you also in realizing your dreams. I
have taken a slightly autobiographical route in writing this column
mainly because I think it works. In conclusion, I also wish to share the
single thought that motivates me. If I have achieved anything in life,
it is because of this thought, which is not mine but which I would like
to share with you. And that thought is: "Your life doesn’t get better by
chance. It gets better by the choices you make." At each crucial
juncture in my life, I have tried to invest my time and thinking to make
considered choices about my future. Many of us rely too much on luck to
take us through life. On the other hand, our chances of achievement
increase dramatically when we actively make our choices and build each
phase of our life on solid logic. And believe me, the sense of
satisfaction and joy you get in becoming a self-made person is
immeasurable.
References
