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Is Your Calling Calling?
- 1. Made with ❤ for HSSP IS YOUR CALLING CALLING?
- 2. What do I even talk about?
- 3. 3
- 4. “Solve your own problem”
- 6. Let’s have some fun!
- 7. “Who will I be when I grow up?”
- 8. Who IS this cool dude?!
- 9. 100,000
- 10. “Don’t take your eye off the prize.”
- 11. You did it!!!
- 13. “Medicine is a jealous mistress”
- 14. Just keep typin’
- 15. Dollar, dollar bills, y’all!
- 17. smh
- 19. Pop quiz, hot shot!
- 20. If it took 100 years, would you still want to be a doctor? 20
- 21. Would you pay to be a doctor? 21
- 22. Five on it... 22
- 23. You have a problem
- 24. I’m all in!
- 27. When did you last help someone?
- 28. New doors open
- 29. Look for a new angle
- 32. YOU’RE GOING TO DIE SOMEDAY! (whomp whomp) 32
- 33. 26,000 days
- 34. What if you only had ONE more minute to live? 34
- 35. Every moment after today is a gift
- 36. 1 out 400 trillion
- 37. Another pop quiz, hot shot!
- 38. “What would you say you do here?”
- 39. More than meets the eye
- 40. 40 Get going on your purpose!
- 41. ““Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive, then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Howard Thurmon
- 42. For more, you can find me @thechillpillist or hien@chillpill.io FIST BUMPS!!!
Editor's Notes
- Give a hand to everyone who coordinates these autobiographies. It takes a lot of time to find the people, schedule them, etc. So let’s give a round to Joyce, Adam, Olivia. Got the email a couple of months ago
- Lots of topics to talk about went through my head. None of which was spending 50 of your time hearing me talk about myself. Hospital administration, consulting, Running my own business, etc. but none of this felt right.
- Joyce brought this idea up to me awhile ago Told me she wanted something “different” When I got the email a couple of months back, I immediately said yes I think it’s her way of saying “cautionary tale of what happens if you don’t stay in school” So maybe if you were paying to ignore me tonight, you may want to listen so you know what to avoid if you don’t want to be like me But this still doesn’t answer the question of what do I even talk about? And my quest, if you will, led me to this mantra...
- Figure out your own problem and solve it. So I took this to heart and thought about it some more and asked myself, “what do I remember from the autobiographies when I was in HSSP?” I tried to think about myself being in your shoes and what it was like to have these very accomplished people stand up here talking about themselves. And the sad truth is, I don’t remember anything. Which got me curious as to why
- So I thought about why and the answer is “I already knew what I was going to do. There’s nothing these people can tell me.” I’m sure this is true for most of you in this room. You guys are in HSSP, so I have to assume most of you want to either be a doctor, a nurse, a physical therapist. While some of you switched majors after your first Chemistry mid-term last semester, the rest of you are still fighting the good fight. And though I admire the fact you guys are so sure you want to go down this path, my goal tonight is to challenge your assumption. Because that’s a problem I had when I was your age. I was so certain I knew what I was going to be when I grew up. And never in my wildest dream did I think I’d find myself where I am today. So, my goal to tonight is to help you all answer this question for yourself… It’s 7pm, which means...
- Its 7pm on a Tuesday - prime party time! Again, I’m not interesting in spending this time talking about me and my life. I want to spend it talking about your’s. So let’s start with this question...
- (Hmm - I meant to use a picture of Chris Evans, but I must’ve used a photo of me instead.) Just like me, there’s a bunch of you sitting here right now thinking to yourself, “what does this old man know? I’m going to be a doctor, nurse, etc. - End of story.” But the reality is, you shouldn’t have any idea of what you want to do when you’re my age - 19. It’s crazy to think that at your age you should be expected to know how the rest of your life will turn out. Try to remember what you were like when you were 8 years old. When you were 8 years old, what did you want to grow up to be? Maybe a ballet dancer, a police officer, an astronaut, vet, a marine biologist, etc. Maybe even a Pokemon catcher or Ironman. I know I did. All except a ballet dancer and Pokemon catcher. When I was 8, I told people I’d be a doctor. But I also said other things like astronomer, astronaut, architect, etc. And you probably did as well. What you and I wanted to be when we were 8 changed day to day. Would you feel comfortable letting your 8 year old self decide what you’d be doing for the rest of your life? Probably not. So if you wouldn’t let 8 year old You decide your future J.O.B. - why should 18 year old YOU be more qualified? The reason why this question matters so much to me is because I was just as certain as you when I was 18 that I’d be a doctor. But that’s now what I am today. Not because I couldn’t hack it, but because it wasn’t the right path for me. And, I just want you to open your mind up to the possibility that what you believe to be your calling just may not be your calling. And I don’t care what you end up being in the future - so long as you are living a meaningful and purposeful life. So up to this point, I’ve focused a lot of this talk on you and what you’re going to do. But I’ve made some reference to myself here and there. And you’re probably wondering, who is this dude? But just like you, I thought I knew my calling at your age when I decided to put myself through learning about covalent bonds and memorizing all of the amino acids. But look at me now. It took time, but I finally found my purpose. You have your whole life ahead of you, and to be so certain right now is crazy. Nobody really knows what he or she wants to be. Even though I don’t want to make this talk about myself, I think it’s only fair I share with you a little about myself
- Since this is an autobiography, let me give you a quick 30 second rundown of who I am. Here we go. I was born and raised by a mom who fled the Vietnam War. My father was a stroke victim and was in and out of hospitals my whole life - he passed away when I was 19 from pneumonia. I grew up poor around drugs and violence and went to UM with dreams of being a doctor because the care my dad received sucked and I knew I could do better. I was pre-med, took the MCATs, applied to medical school, got to second apps and had an epiphany that being a doctor wasn’t for me. (Wish I had figured that out before I spent all that time studying for the MCAT.) So I decided to go into hospital administration because I liked the idea of serving a population of patients, not 1 patient at a time. I worked at the CVC and the VA. Interviewed at John Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic, Vanderbilt. I had a pretty good career in administration where I got to propose and design new multi-million dollar construction projects for the VA. But I hated the job, so I left and went to work for a healthcare consultancy. Hate that, started a personal development blog called Chillpill and now I run 3 businesses. And the reason why I’m so interested in you living a purposeful life is because that’s my job now - to help people find their purpose and to live it. That’s my calling. I’ve very passionate about this because what you do for a living defines such a huge part of your life...
- 100,000 hours worth. This is a lot of time. With your work taking up so much of your life, shouldn’t those 100,000 hours (about 1/3 ) be spent on something that excites you? That means something to you? You weren’t put on this earth to work eight hours a day at a job you hate until the time comes to die
- I know school is hectic, and you guys are all probably going to go back to your dorm room to study immediately after this. Got to keep your eye on the prize, right? But if you take a moment and think about it, this is a silly saying. Don’t take your eye off the prize. Do you know what would happen if you only focused on the prize? It’d be like driving a car where you can only see the destination. I want you to take your eye off the prize for a moment and to slow things down just a bit. To give you a chance to see if you’re racing towards the right destination. It’s important to take moments like this to check yourself. It’s like saying “I can’t stop for gas, I need to get to my destination.” So let’s start by starting at the finish line.
- Want everyone to take a moment and imagine that you’re a doctor, nurse, PT, etc. you did it. Imagine what that feels like? Must be pretty awesome wearing that white coat with your name and MD stitched on. Helping cure disease and alleviate pain and suffering. Having people address you as Doctor. That sounds pretty awesome
- Of course it’d be awesome! But could be a doctor actually not be awesome? Could there be some bad and ugly with the Good?
- Has anyone ever heard this quote before? Basically what this quote is saying is that being in the medical field is a BIG commitment. No surprise to anyone in the room. But like any career, there are highs and lows to the job. While it’s cool to think you’ll be like George Clooney or the lady from Grey’s Anatomy, it’s not all rainbows and unicorns like the way it’s portrayed in tv shows and movies. It’s very demanding and it can take a toll on your life. But how consuming can this career be?
- Doctors work a ton of hours, but at least they’re spent with patients, am I right? Wrong! Even though tv shows show doctors spending most of their time in hot affairs or saving lives, they actually only spend 1/4 of their day with patients. 50% of their day is spent on documentation and other desk work. And even though most of the day is spent at their desk, most doctors find themselves spending an additional 1-2 hours of after-work documentation. So lots of typing But at least doctors make bank
- There’s no denying that the average salary for a doctor is decent. physicians are some of the highest paid professionals in the United States And heck, it may be a reason why you’re somewhat driven to a doctor - to be financially well-off. But the problem is, making a lot of money doesn’t make that money’s going into your pocket. The cost to make the money is higher than ever, and doctors are leaving medical school with an average of $200,000 in student debt. With interest, this loan could cost you over half a million dollar when it’s all paid off. And this number is just to pay for the education. This doesn’t include the cost of living, the cost of exams, the cost of malpractice insurance, maybe buying a car, etc. All of this leads to an average debt to income ratio of 35%, which means 35 cent of every year you’re going to make is going to go to pay off loans and debt. And not to belabor the money point, but you’re also going to lose the ability to invest money in your 20s to a 401k or retirement because you won’t be making any money due to your education and training.
- All of this leads to burnout and stress. Over 80% of doctors believe they’re at capacity or over-extended, and ⅓ of doctors report feeling burnout. In fact, studies show doctors experience burnout 15x more than other professionals. This is due to finances, work life balance issues, dealing with perfectionism and death, etc. Mix all of this together, and it’s no wonder the suicide rate among physicians is 3x higher than the general population. It’s exhausting being a doctor. To the where a lot of doctors would choose an entire different path if they could do it all over again.
- A recent survey of doctors showed that around 50% of doctors wouldn’t go down the same route if they had to do things all over again. 9 out of 10 doctors wouldn’t encourage others to go down the path. This isn’t surprising when across America, 31 million adults between age 44-71 want a second chance at life. They wish they could tap their heels together and change everything. So why do I tell you all of these things?
- I didn’t talk about these issues to dissuade you from becoming a doctor, but these things were things I didn’t know about when I daydreamed about wearing a white coat and going off into the world to help people. Because the reality is, there’s no such thing as a perfect job. My job isn’t perfect, and I mostly get to dictate what I do and don’t do. But I call out these things because you should be aware of what you’re getting yourself into. If you do decide to go down this route, you should have a good reason because there are going to be bumps and roadblocks along the way. Success is not a single line. It’s a jumbled mess. Success is an up and down battle. Being clear on WHY you want to do what you do will help you endure and be gritty. You’re probably thinking, “This is the path I chose. I love serving others who need help and I’m following my passion. Whatever I need to do to help people.”
- So, let’s test your WHY with 2 questions
- Probably familiar with the 10,000 hours rule 10,000 of deliberate work and practice to be the best Violinists capable of being solo violinists were studied Those who were most capable had put in 10,000 hours by age 20 The reality is, it’d take 25,000 hours to actually become a soloist! 1 hour a day every day -> 68 years! Can you sustain the obsession of being a doctor? Are you dedicated to the process of reaching your mountain top or are you only concerned about the mountain top?
- We already talked about the financial toll, but would you actually pay a toll, like a parking structure, to do the job?
- Think about every one of those questions and your answers. Then for each answer, ask yourself WHY 5x. This is a common root cause technique. The reason is that each WHY gets you closer and closer your true motivation. To get to the problem you’re trying to solve.
- Because you’ve got a problem. We all do. Solving problems is what we all aspire to. Just look around. Everything around you was created to solve a problem. except maybe the fish on the wall that sings. Your coat, your laptop, your phone, everything. We’re all here to solve this kind of problem. But I want you to decide for yourself if this is the RIGHT problem for you to solve? And if so, is being a doctor the right solution.
- Alright, so you’ve probably said yaaas to all of my questions. You saw the bad and the ugly of being a doctor and you’re still all in. Can’t stop, won’t stop! “This is the right problem for me to solve because I want to help people.” You’re all in on this! Great, we’re all done then.
- Just kidding. That was just the beginning. I’d got one last favor to ask of you.
- I want you to test your hypothesis. What does this mean? You’re all mostly science majors - biochem, bio, chem, etc. So you should all be familar with the scientific method. We went through the first couple of steps of asking questions, doing a little research, and coming up with a hypothesis. Now it’s time to test it by coming up with experiments to prove your hypothesis wrong. Now, this won’t be perfectly scientific since there’s no control group. We’re not going to do If, Then statemetns. So we’ll stop calling it to the Scientific method, but instead call it the... HIENTIFIC METHOD (ugh, that sound way better in my head…) So what’s your hypothesis? That you want to be a doctor because blank where blank is most likely “help people”. How many people here want to go into the healthcare field because you want to help people? Okay - let’s test that reasoning. Ask yourself
- - when was the last time I helped someone? And I don’t even mean in a medical way like CPR but just helped someone? Like volunteered at a soup kitchen, being a candy striper, or even just offer up your time to teach a fellow student how to do calculus. Did any of you go to DTW to protest the travel ban? So now, more specifically, when was the last time you were around doctors? I know you shadow doctors as part of the program, but was that the last time you interacted with a doctor? Or the last time you were in the hospital? There are a lot of ways you can experiment right now without needing to be a doctor. Not to put anyone to shame, but by the age of 19, I’d already spent a summer working in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, ran an immunization project in Nepal, and actively volunteered in a cath lab putting in stents. I had friends who volunteered for the Red Cross on football Saturdays or even worked as EMTs Working a bench lab job is great, but unless you plan to be a researcher, that experience isn’t really helping you decide if medicine is the right path for you. Covalent bonds and knowing that Gravity is 9.8 m/s2 By running experiments, you’ll really put your dreams to the test. I even worked as a lab tech at a Bansfield hospital just so I could spend time in the OR. I quit that job because I hated seeing animals in pain. So that killed any dream of being a vet as a kid.. But with every closed door...
- And though I realized being a direct care provider wasn’t my thing, I found out that I really liked business and developing others - who knew? And had it not been for experiences like working at the CVC, I’d never know that. So whether your hypothesis is proven right or wrong, you’ll find out about yourself. And the more you know about yourself and how you tick, the better you’ll understand your calling and the problem you’re truly trying to solve. Once you’re clear on the problem, you can come up with the right solution. And you can be creative with that!
- If you want to help people, great. And if being a doctor is your way, go for it. But know that it’s not your only way - it may not be your way You don’t need a white coat or a fancy title You guys live in the most technological advanced period of human history 10 years ago, the iPhone didn’t exist You can help people in so many different ways You can 3D print ironman arms for kids That’s seriously a real thing!
- Look how amazing that is! And this is just scratching the surface The point is Find your path of putting a dent in the universe Find your way of changing the world If you decide to go down the doctor route, more power to you. Hopefully you got something out of this where you can take your WHY and purpose with you as you move forward. And for those of you will choose a different path, know that there’s no shame in it. When I finally decided to not follow-through on my “dreams” of being a doctor, I felt a lot of guilt I felt like I’d disappoint my mother who worked so hard supporting me and my dream So when I told her, I was so sure she’d be angry But in the end, she just told me to follow my heart and to do what I wanted to do with my life This is your life at the end of the day So shouldn’t it be awesome!?
- Before wrapping up, I want to give you guys some time to ask any questions you may have Alright, if you take away anything, it’s that some jackass told you it’s okay not to be a doctor and also this...
- imagine your funeral. who's there? What are they saying about you? What are they not saying about you?
- You have on average 26,000 days in a lifetime You’ve all used up around 6,000 so you’re down to 20,000 (you’re welcome) No one knows when you’ll die, but you will Today you’re the closest you’ll ever be to death - tomorrow you’ll be closer, the day after that even closer Make the most of this one life that you have. Make it unique. You owe yourself and the universe that.
- So if you only had 1 more minute to live - what would you do? 1 more hour? 1 more day? Week? Month? Year? What would you do? What about if you have 1 lifetime? But guess what? You’re not dying today, you’re living
- Live a life, don’t try to make a living. You owe the universe that much
- Scientists have tried to figure quantitatively the chances we should be alive. And the odds of you, you, you - all of you existing is 1 out of 400 trillion shot. It’s basically the odds of getting a perfect bracket! You’re here for a reason - to put a dent in the world But you have to work to make that dent
- So with that, I want to ask you all one last question...
- When it’s all said and done, and your 26,000 days are up - what would you say you did here? Tonight, when you’re in bed - try to summarize your life’s work into 1 sentence. What would that sentence say? Make sure it’s grammatically correct and not a run-on sentence. In one sentence, tell yourself how you’ll leave the world better than how you found it? And starting tomorrow, go make that happen.
- You have the power to transform the world. So,