The Four Words to Focus On in 2022 – Part 4

Alignment. The word reminds me of a straight line that goes on for miles. One of the definitions of alignment I found online is “appropriate relative positions”. Like those movable dividers on busy highways. They are designed to move in a certain position at certain times to facilitate traffic flow. Those individual divider units have to move in a such a way that each has its own place and own timing to move, otherwise a continuous, smooth line will not be formed.

At a personal level, alignment to me means one is thinking and doing what that person feels is true to oneself. My ultimate focus is to align gratitude, change and family in my life. I am always thankful for what I have, what is given to me. I am learning to be thankful in difficult situations. One has to be without a grudge to be thankful, especially during hard times. I believe gratitude brings about the care and love toward others. If this can be a ripple effect, the world will hopefully be a more harmonious place.

Change – implies my life is not exactly in alignment. First is to identify those pieces of outliers. Am I spending time the way I want to? One of my core values is helping people. I suppose that is why I became a physician in the first place. The longer I work in clinical medicine, the more I realize there are other ways to help people. We help by treating diseases, trumping fears, mending relationships, sharing emotional burdens, and even leaving a legacy. As much as I enjoy helping patients and their families to the best of my ability, I discovered that I want to help physicians, physicians who are overwhelmed, who feel undervalued, who feel stuck in the medical system. Physicians who feel drained, dissatisfied and frustrated. I want to help and guide physicians to feel appreciated, empowered, gratitude, a sense of control, abundant and balanced. This will also benefit their patients to have a more positive and supportive environment. I believe small shifts and little changes will accumulate to produce big impact.

With my current work situation, I do not have much time to spend with my family.  I am coming up with ways to increase family time. This past year, I worked on finishing my charts on time. It seemed to be an impossible task at first. With my daily focus of spending time with my family, this positive and desirable fuel propelled me to achieve my chart goal consistently. Alignment of my goal, my focus, and the right fuel are essential for success.

The pieces of my life’s alignment are getting close to be a smooth straight line, going to the direction of infinite possibilities and adventures. I love the four words I found in that mish mash of letters: Gratitude, Change, Family, Alignment. They are words meant for me, for right now.