Why you should pursue outside interests beyond your career in medicine

100:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,860Welcome to the Clinician Researcher podcast, where academic clinicians learn the skills200:00:05,860 --> 00:00:11,260to build their own research program, whether or not they have a mentor.300:00:11,260 --> 00:00:17,340As clinicians, we spend a decade or more as trainees learning to take care of patients.400:00:17,340 --> 00:00:22,380When we finally start our careers, we want to build research programs, but then we find500:00:22,380 --> 00:00:27,780that our years of clinical training did not adequately prepare us to lead our research600:00:27,780 --> 00:00:29,200program.700:00:29,200 --> 00:00:35,480Through no fault of our own, we struggle to find mentors, and when we can't, we quit.800:00:35,480 --> 00:00:40,580However, clinicians hold the keys to the greatest research breakthroughs.900:00:40,580 --> 00:00:46,200For this reason, the Clinician Researcher podcast exists to give academic clinicians1000:00:46,200 --> 00:00:51,800the tools to build their own research program, whether or not they have a mentor.1100:00:51,800 --> 00:01:01,080Now introducing your host, Toyosi Onwuemene.1200:01:01,080 --> 00:01:03,800Welcome to the Clinician Researcher podcast.1300:01:03,800 --> 00:01:08,960I'm your host, Toyosi Onwuemene, and it is an absolute pleasure to be talking with you today.1400:01:08,960 --> 00:01:10,280Thank you so much for tuning in.1500:01:10,280 --> 00:01:17,880I want to say excited about today's topic, and I would say maybe rather than excited1600:01:17,880 --> 00:01:19,920today, I'm a little subdued.1700:01:19,920 --> 00:01:27,920It's an exciting topic under normal circumstances, but today it is a topic that I come to with1800:01:27,920 --> 00:01:36,080just a sense of realization of kind of the finiteness of our experience.1900:01:36,080 --> 00:01:43,400And you know, I will share that I recently got an unexpected email.2000:01:43,400 --> 00:01:48,760This was one of those widespread campus messages about one of our faculty members who, you2100:01:48,760 --> 00:01:54,680know, ended her journey, which is a nice way of saying that she died.2200:01:54,680 --> 00:01:57,120And you know what?2300:01:57,120 --> 00:01:59,120Caused me to pause.2400:01:59,120 --> 00:02:04,520And you know, this is a faculty member within my department, and she's someone I knew and2500:02:04,520 --> 00:02:06,400interacted with.2600:02:06,400 --> 00:02:12,320And I didn't know her personally, and so I didn't know what was going on with her recently.2700:02:12,320 --> 00:02:20,360But it definitely made me pause and remember that, wow, there is so much more to this journey2800:02:20,360 --> 00:02:22,640beyond the work that we do.2900:02:22,640 --> 00:02:27,480And we are not guaranteed a career that's 40, 50 years long.3000:02:27,480 --> 00:02:28,920We're not.3100:02:28,920 --> 00:02:37,360And so if for whatever reason we found out that the journey that we have embarked on3200:02:37,360 --> 00:02:41,880has an end in the near future, how would we behave differently?3300:02:41,880 --> 00:02:47,720And so that's where I come from with regard to this episode, which is talking to you about3400:02:47,720 --> 00:02:51,880how and why you should create space for your outside interests.3500:02:51,880 --> 00:02:55,880It's just the recognition that the journey is the gift.3600:02:55,880 --> 00:02:57,440It's not the end of the journey.3700:02:57,440 --> 00:03:02,480It's not the career celebration or the retirement celebration 40 years down the road.3800:03:02,480 --> 00:03:03,480It's today.3900:03:03,480 --> 00:03:08,160And if for whatever reason we are not enjoying our careers today, then we've kind of missed4000:03:08,160 --> 00:03:11,360out on the most important point.4100:03:11,360 --> 00:03:13,480Many times we're chasing things.4200:03:13,480 --> 00:03:19,200We're chasing papers and we're chasing publications and we're chasing grants and we're chasing4300:03:19,200 --> 00:03:20,200funding.4400:03:20,200 --> 00:03:22,880We're chasing recognition.4500:03:22,880 --> 00:03:28,600And all of that is fine as long as we're enjoying the chase, as long as the chase is part of4600:03:28,600 --> 00:03:35,120the fun and not the reward at the end of the chase, which, you know, honestly is elusive4700:03:35,120 --> 00:03:40,720or you catch it and then there's another reward that you have to pursue.4800:03:40,720 --> 00:03:46,520And so that's what sits on my mind today as I share this episode, which is important about4900:03:46,520 --> 00:03:51,360creating space for your outside interests and why it's important to do that.5000:03:51,360 --> 00:03:57,840And the first thing I will share, which I think you already know, is that this journey5100:03:57,840 --> 00:03:59,200is a marathon.5200:03:59,200 --> 00:04:01,400It's not a sprint.5300:04:01,400 --> 00:04:09,280When we first started on this journey towards medicine, for some of us that means that we5400:04:09,280 --> 00:04:15,920did an undergraduate degree and then from undergraduate we went to medical school and5500:04:15,920 --> 00:04:20,720after medical school we did graduate medical education, whether that was for three years5600:04:20,720 --> 00:04:25,040in residency or more or in fellowship.5700:04:25,040 --> 00:04:30,560We have been on this journey where, you know, we've to some extent we've done it in sprints5800:04:30,560 --> 00:04:36,560though when you look back over the whole journey, it's been one long marathon.5900:04:36,560 --> 00:04:41,120In finishing med school, that was one part of the sprint and finishing residency, that6000:04:41,120 --> 00:04:42,520was another part of the sprint.6100:04:42,520 --> 00:04:46,520And for those of us who did fellowship and finishing fellowship, it feels like that was6200:04:46,520 --> 00:04:47,880another part of the sprint.6300:04:47,880 --> 00:04:51,680And you could call it a sprint maybe because at least those were like four year and three6400:04:51,680 --> 00:04:54,280year spurts or maybe it was five years.6500:04:54,280 --> 00:05:02,280But overall, when you put it all together, we've been running a long time and overall6600:05:02,280 --> 00:05:08,640it really is long, 10 years of training before you even start in your faculty career and6700:05:08,640 --> 00:05:13,640all of it counts by the way, it is a long trip.6800:05:13,640 --> 00:05:20,240And if you do have 30, 40 years ahead of you, that's a long, long trip.6900:05:20,240 --> 00:05:26,080And so recognizing that you've got so much further to go than where you started helps7000:05:26,080 --> 00:05:29,680you recognize that well if you're going to finish well, you're going to have to pace7100:05:29,680 --> 00:05:31,240yourself along the journey.7200:05:31,240 --> 00:05:37,120You're going to have to be measured to your approach and you're not going to want to try7300:05:37,120 --> 00:05:42,840to do everything all at once or try to accomplish everything all at once or beat yourself up7400:05:42,840 --> 00:05:45,480time after time after time.7500:05:45,480 --> 00:05:49,000Because honestly, wow, it's a long journey.7600:05:49,000 --> 00:05:54,960We've got so much, so much that's going to be accomplished over the course of a long7700:05:54,960 --> 00:05:55,960career.7800:05:55,960 --> 00:06:04,320And so because we recognize that this journey takes a long time and that we are really,7900:06:04,320 --> 00:06:08,600if we're going to do it well, we're going to pace ourselves in the same way as you would8000:06:08,600 --> 00:06:14,680for a marathon, then you recognize that you're not sprinting and you shouldn't be sprinting.8100:06:14,680 --> 00:06:18,800Because when you sprint, you burn up a lot of energy very quickly, you get tired very8200:06:18,800 --> 00:06:19,800quickly.8300:06:19,800 --> 00:06:24,520You can only do that for so long before you burn out or pull a muscle or something.8400:06:24,520 --> 00:06:31,640But if you're going to run a marathon, you train and you run in bursts.8500:06:31,640 --> 00:06:36,720Now, have I, actually I was going to say, have I run a marathon?8600:06:36,720 --> 00:06:38,360The answer is yes, I have.8700:06:38,360 --> 00:06:41,760It's kind of like it was a non-traditional marathon.8800:06:41,760 --> 00:06:44,880I'll have to save that story for later, but I definitely did.8900:06:44,880 --> 00:06:48,520Actually, I'll tell you the story is that it was during the pandemic and I had this9000:06:48,520 --> 00:06:57,840goal to run a marathon before my 40th birthday and I had taken to, this was at the very beginning9100:06:57,840 --> 00:07:00,080of the pandemic, running in the house.9200:07:00,080 --> 00:07:07,680So I would just run back and forth and I would log a few miles with my running back and forth.9300:07:07,680 --> 00:07:10,840And eventually one day I thought, you know what, I'm going to keep running back and forth9400:07:10,840 --> 00:07:13,000until I've done 26 miles.9500:07:13,000 --> 00:07:14,840And I really did do it.9600:07:14,840 --> 00:07:16,680And it was interesting.9700:07:16,680 --> 00:07:21,880I don't say it's the same as running a marathon where you're running outside and there are9800:07:21,880 --> 00:07:23,560others around you.9900:07:23,560 --> 00:07:27,320But it was one of those things that I did know, it's like, you know what, I logged these10000:07:27,320 --> 00:07:28,920miles and I did it for hours.10100:07:28,920 --> 00:07:31,520I forget how many hours, it was probably over five hours.10200:07:31,520 --> 00:07:35,760So it wasn't even a fast marathon, even though it was by myself in the house.10300:07:35,760 --> 00:07:41,800But one of the reasons I share the story is because, I mean, I'm a runner and I do run10400:07:41,800 --> 00:07:43,760outside and I do run indoors.10500:07:43,760 --> 00:07:49,600And the pandemic was one way that I could keep the pandemic running and the way I was10600:07:49,600 --> 00:07:54,320running indoors was one way that I could be gone for long periods of time running and10700:07:54,320 --> 00:07:57,400still be indoors with the kids who were homeschooling.10800:07:57,400 --> 00:08:03,240So it was kind of strategic because I couldn't be gone for long hours running.10900:08:03,240 --> 00:08:04,960I needed to be home for them.11000:08:04,960 --> 00:08:06,840And so it was one strategy that I used.11100:08:06,840 --> 00:08:12,340So anyway, I say all that to say that if you're going to run a long, long distance, you do11200:08:12,340 --> 00:08:15,120want to build up to it.11300:08:15,120 --> 00:08:22,280And it's important to recognize that these careers are long, long, long, long, long,11400:08:22,280 --> 00:08:23,960long journeys.11500:08:23,960 --> 00:08:29,600And for that reason, you don't wait until the end of this long journey to create space11600:08:29,600 --> 00:08:30,840for your outside interests.11700:08:30,840 --> 00:08:32,840Please don't wait till you retire.11800:08:32,840 --> 00:08:37,400Something you want to do right now alongside your trip, alongside your journey.11900:08:37,400 --> 00:08:42,760And for many of us, I think that we do a good job of not necessarily deferring all our hopes12000:08:42,760 --> 00:08:45,880and dreams till the very end.12100:08:45,880 --> 00:08:50,600After 10 years of training, and then some being in faculty on faculty, you suddenly12200:08:50,600 --> 00:08:54,040realize you're like, wait a minute, what am I saving all this for?12300:08:54,040 --> 00:08:55,760This keeps going.12400:08:55,760 --> 00:08:59,600And so just recognizing that you should create space for your outside interests because this12500:08:59,600 --> 00:09:01,080journey is a marathon.12600:09:01,080 --> 00:09:03,080It is not a sprint.12700:09:03,080 --> 00:09:05,440All right.12800:09:05,440 --> 00:09:12,200The second thing I want to share is your identity extends beyond your career.12900:09:12,200 --> 00:09:13,880This has always been true.13000:09:13,880 --> 00:09:15,100It's always been true.13100:09:15,100 --> 00:09:19,280But what happens when we come into medicine is that medicine is all consuming.13200:09:19,280 --> 00:09:23,160Wow, it takes up so much time, so much energy.13300:09:23,160 --> 00:09:26,480It feels as if there was nothing before medicine.13400:09:26,480 --> 00:09:29,240It feels as if medicine is all there is.13500:09:29,240 --> 00:09:30,920And it really is all consuming.13600:09:30,920 --> 00:09:33,960It just takes up so much time and energy.13700:09:33,960 --> 00:09:38,920Your friends are in medicine, your colleagues are in medicine, your daytime hours are spent13800:09:38,920 --> 00:09:42,800in medicine, and your nighttime hours consumed by medicine.13900:09:42,800 --> 00:09:45,720Wow, it's a lot of medicine.14000:09:45,720 --> 00:09:54,280And so to no one's surprise, when some of us feel like medicine is our whole identity,14100:09:54,280 --> 00:09:55,280it's a big deal.14200:09:55,280 --> 00:10:01,040And it's not uncommon because, wow, for something that takes up so much time all the time and14300:10:01,040 --> 00:10:07,120doesn't really have limits, you can be on call and be patient at nighttime.14400:10:07,120 --> 00:10:10,800Your sleep is not sacred.14500:10:10,800 --> 00:10:15,600And it can make people feel so wrapped up in the identity of being a physician.14600:10:15,600 --> 00:10:20,560And as you make the transition to lead a research program, it's the same thing where it feels14700:10:20,560 --> 00:10:23,880like you're always writing grants, you're always submitting manuscripts.14800:10:23,880 --> 00:10:28,920It just feels like you're kind of on this what sometimes can feel like a hamster wheel14900:10:28,920 --> 00:10:29,920of this career.15000:10:29,920 --> 00:10:38,440But the reality is that way, way, way before we came into medicine, we had other identities.15100:10:38,440 --> 00:10:39,840We were real people.15200:10:39,840 --> 00:10:41,800We had other interests.15300:10:41,800 --> 00:10:47,080And even if we went from medical school, I mean, from undergraduate straight into medical15400:10:47,080 --> 00:10:52,400school, straight into residency, straight into fellowship without any breaks, no matter15500:10:52,400 --> 00:10:58,280how young we were when we started, we had identities outside of medicine.15600:10:58,280 --> 00:11:05,840And so for medicine to become all that we do for our careers in clinic and clinical15700:11:05,840 --> 00:11:11,000things and in research to become all that we do, it's kind of a false, it's a false15800:11:11,000 --> 00:11:14,120reality because there's so much to us.15900:11:14,120 --> 00:11:17,160There has always been and there always will be.16000:11:17,160 --> 00:11:22,720And as much as medicine means so much to us, if it all ended today, we would continue because16100:11:22,720 --> 00:11:27,580we have so many skills we've amassed that are relevant in other areas and other spheres16200:11:27,580 --> 00:11:29,280of our lives.16300:11:29,280 --> 00:11:35,040And so the reason why you should create space for your outside interests, at least one of16400:11:35,040 --> 00:11:39,580the reasons, is that your identity extends beyond your career.16500:11:39,580 --> 00:11:42,080And so there should be more to us.16600:11:42,080 --> 00:11:44,780There is more to us beyond our careers.16700:11:44,780 --> 00:11:48,120And we should give space and attention to those things.16800:11:48,120 --> 00:11:53,560Now once upon a time, I couldn't read books that were not medical because I felt like16900:11:53,560 --> 00:11:59,320I was inadequate in my fund of knowledge and I needed to keep reading more.17000:11:59,320 --> 00:12:05,440And any deviation from reading medical textbooks or journal articles felt like I was doing17100:12:05,440 --> 00:12:06,640the wrong thing.17200:12:06,640 --> 00:12:12,300And so there's a part of our training that makes us feel that we constantly have to strive17300:12:12,300 --> 00:12:17,520to be more, do more, get more experience, be more excellent.17400:12:17,520 --> 00:12:23,520And the journey and the striving for excellence is good as long as we recognize that there's17500:12:23,520 --> 00:12:24,520got to be space.17600:12:24,520 --> 00:12:29,160There's got to be space for other things beyond our careers.17700:12:29,160 --> 00:12:35,280And it's great that we invest time in being more excellent and that we also leave space17800:12:35,280 --> 00:12:39,280for the things that matter, the things that make us whole, the things that make us who17900:12:39,280 --> 00:12:41,720we are.18000:12:41,720 --> 00:12:47,200The third reason that I want to share is that we've lost great friends along the way.18100:12:47,200 --> 00:12:49,280We've lost a few.18200:12:49,280 --> 00:12:52,040And now I feel like goodness.18300:12:52,040 --> 00:12:55,280We've lost more than a few.18400:12:55,280 --> 00:13:03,160And I'm not here to make anybody sad or to ruminate on all the people I know personally18500:13:03,160 --> 00:13:10,480who passed away this year, but just recognizing that there are people we didn't think were18600:13:10,480 --> 00:13:11,480dying who did.18700:13:11,480 --> 00:13:15,480There are people we didn't know were sick who died.18800:13:15,480 --> 00:13:21,240There are many people that we're surprised by whose journeys have come to an end faster18900:13:21,240 --> 00:13:24,600than we expected them to.19000:13:24,600 --> 00:13:31,800And we have no guarantees as to how long we get to be here, how much longer we get to19100:13:31,800 --> 00:13:33,280continue to contribute.19200:13:33,280 --> 00:13:39,560And for that reason, it's important for us to recognize that if the journey ends today,19300:13:39,560 --> 00:13:40,560are we ready?19400:13:40,560 --> 00:13:43,480Like, have we done all that we wanted to do?19500:13:43,480 --> 00:13:47,200Are we satisfied with the experience that we've had?19600:13:47,200 --> 00:13:51,440And if for whatever reason there is a sense of like, oh my goodness, I haven't done all19700:13:51,440 --> 00:13:54,720the things I wanted to do, that's a sign.19800:13:54,720 --> 00:14:00,040It's a sign that you should pay attention to those things that you want to do.19900:14:00,040 --> 00:14:08,920Because the reality, which is made so much more stark when somebody dies unexpectedly,20000:14:08,920 --> 00:14:11,960is that tomorrow is not promised.20100:14:11,960 --> 00:14:13,440Tomorrow is not promised.20200:14:13,440 --> 00:14:14,880Today is the present.20300:14:14,880 --> 00:14:17,880It is the gift that we have to live.20400:14:17,880 --> 00:14:20,400And we should make today count.20500:14:20,400 --> 00:14:29,080Part of making today count is looking at our experience, like our global experience, and20600:14:29,080 --> 00:14:35,920recognizing that we have opportunities to make up relationships or build new relationships20700:14:35,920 --> 00:14:44,360or mend old relationships and move forward with projects that have excited us or encouraged20800:14:44,360 --> 00:14:48,560us or inspired us for so long.20900:14:48,560 --> 00:14:55,280And so, one reason to create space for our outside interests is that we have no guarantees21000:14:55,280 --> 00:14:58,600as to the duration of this journey.21100:14:58,600 --> 00:15:05,440And for that reason, we should make sure that every moment counts to the best of our ability.21200:15:05,440 --> 00:15:12,120The fourth reason that I have to share is that your experiences outside of medicine21300:15:12,120 --> 00:15:16,560actually make for greater contributions within medicine.21400:15:16,560 --> 00:15:22,880Your experiences outside of medicine make for greater contributions within medicine.21500:15:22,880 --> 00:15:29,520Because one of the things you recognize about innovation is that innovation is frequently21600:15:29,520 --> 00:15:35,000not making something new, but applying something that's already used in a different area to21700:15:35,000 --> 00:15:37,200a new area.21800:15:37,200 --> 00:15:43,400And the reality of our experience is that outside of medicine, there's so much innovation21900:15:43,400 --> 00:15:47,080that doesn't look like innovation until we bring it into medicine.22000:15:47,080 --> 00:15:48,440And so much of that is happening.22100:15:48,440 --> 00:15:49,880It's unfolding.22200:15:49,880 --> 00:15:51,080But it helps us be better.22300:15:51,080 --> 00:15:52,080It helps us think better.22400:15:52,080 --> 00:15:54,200It helps us communicate better.22500:15:54,200 --> 00:15:57,120It helps us think broader.22600:15:57,120 --> 00:16:03,380And that's why it's so amazing to have collaborations and colleagues outside of our field, because22700:16:03,380 --> 00:16:12,480every time we interact with people or experience people in different spheres of life or they22800:16:12,480 --> 00:16:19,360do different things, they're in different situations work-wise, financially, it changes22900:16:19,360 --> 00:16:22,120the way we think about our experience.23000:16:22,120 --> 00:16:30,320And so the reality of making space for our interests outside of medicine is that, wow,23100:16:30,320 --> 00:16:34,480it makes our experience so much richer.23200:16:34,480 --> 00:16:36,360It makes it so much richer.23300:16:36,360 --> 00:16:39,280It really enhances our experience.23400:16:39,280 --> 00:16:42,520It doesn't diminish our experience in medicine.23500:16:42,520 --> 00:16:44,660It actually enhances it.23600:16:44,660 --> 00:16:50,440And so you should create space for your outside interests because it really makes for a greater23700:16:50,440 --> 00:16:52,200contribution within medicine.23800:16:52,200 --> 00:16:57,520You're so much the richer because of all the things that you've experienced outside of23900:16:57,520 --> 00:16:58,520medicine.24000:16:58,520 --> 00:17:09,200The other thing is that having friends outside of your field makes you richer.24100:17:09,200 --> 00:17:10,400I mean that in every way.24200:17:10,400 --> 00:17:12,000I mean financially.24300:17:12,000 --> 00:17:14,520I mean experience-wise.24400:17:14,520 --> 00:17:20,320I mean, I just mean richer in every way that you can imagine richer because, you know,24500:17:20,320 --> 00:17:22,320let's face it.24600:17:22,320 --> 00:17:26,440At least when you start out in medicine, you mostly start out in the negative because you're24700:17:26,440 --> 00:17:29,680probably more in debt than you have assets.24800:17:29,680 --> 00:17:36,800Over time, as a clinician, given enough time, earning your income staying constant, well24900:17:36,800 --> 00:17:43,520actually hopefully increasing over time, you start to be able to build financial wealth.25000:17:43,520 --> 00:17:45,240You start to be able to build financial wealth.25100:17:45,240 --> 00:17:47,880And I say financial wealth because wealth is more than just finances.25200:17:47,880 --> 00:17:50,600There's so much more to wealth than just finances.25300:17:50,600 --> 00:17:54,000But financially, you start to build wealth.25400:17:54,000 --> 00:17:58,320And so the longer you're in medicine, yeah, definitely the longer you can build wealth25500:17:58,320 --> 00:17:59,480if you choose to.25600:17:59,480 --> 00:18:01,320It's always a choice.25700:18:01,320 --> 00:18:05,280But there are people outside of medicine who don't have your physician's income who've25800:18:05,280 --> 00:18:07,720been building wealth from a long time ago.25900:18:07,720 --> 00:18:09,720And they have much to teach us.26000:18:09,720 --> 00:18:15,560And there are people who have different experiences with the way they buy or accumulate assets26100:18:15,560 --> 00:18:21,280that helps them be financially independent early that we have so much to learn from.26200:18:21,280 --> 00:18:25,880But we can only learn from them if we're actually in contact with them or have access to them26300:18:25,880 --> 00:18:27,280in some ways.26400:18:27,280 --> 00:18:32,200So yes, you can learn from your financial advisor, whoever it is you work with for26500:18:32,200 --> 00:18:33,200finances.26600:18:33,200 --> 00:18:37,720But when you have colleagues who are doing interesting things that are helping them kind26700:18:37,720 --> 00:18:43,840of grow financially, it's interesting because you're like, oh, well, they can do that.26800:18:43,840 --> 00:18:46,400Or they're investing in XYZ and succeeding.26900:18:46,400 --> 00:18:48,320I should consider that.27000:18:48,320 --> 00:18:53,600And so having interests outside your field actually connects you with friends that make27100:18:53,600 --> 00:18:55,000your experience richer.27200:18:55,000 --> 00:18:57,320They challenge you to new ideas.27300:18:57,320 --> 00:19:00,600They challenge you to new thoughts that allow your life to grow.27400:19:00,600 --> 00:19:04,880So not necessarily now your life within medicine, but your life outside of medicine so that27500:19:04,880 --> 00:19:08,480you have a bigger experience, a more expansive experience.27600:19:08,480 --> 00:19:11,800It is overall a richer experience.27700:19:11,800 --> 00:19:14,400And so it kind of feels similar to number four.27800:19:14,400 --> 00:19:18,160You know, I talked about your experience outside of medicine makes for greater contributions27900:19:18,160 --> 00:19:19,160within medicine.28000:19:19,160 --> 00:19:23,400But what I'm really talking about now is how your experiences outside of medicine make28100:19:23,400 --> 00:19:27,640for a greater life outside of medicine that just make you richer because you're so much28200:19:27,640 --> 00:19:28,640fuller.28300:19:28,640 --> 00:19:33,360You've got so much that you are excited about, looking forward to, can talk about, can share28400:19:33,360 --> 00:19:38,600about and you just are able to kind of grow in different ways.28500:19:38,600 --> 00:19:45,600And so definitely a great space for your outside interests because it makes you richer financially28600:19:45,600 --> 00:19:52,200in relationships and in so many other ways.28700:19:52,200 --> 00:19:56,080Those are the five reasons that I wanted to share today about creating space for your28800:19:56,080 --> 00:19:57,520outside interests.28900:19:57,520 --> 00:20:00,200And I'm just going to summarize them again.29000:20:00,200 --> 00:20:02,060This journey is a marathon and not a sprint.29100:20:02,060 --> 00:20:07,880And so because it's going to take so long to run, you should take it easy and you should29200:20:07,880 --> 00:20:13,200figure out how to enjoy the process and not just wait until the end of the destination,29300:20:13,200 --> 00:20:17,080which for some of us could be so, so far away, but for some of us maybe it's not that far29400:20:17,080 --> 00:20:18,080away.29500:20:18,080 --> 00:20:21,600Number two is that your identity extends beyond your career.29600:20:21,600 --> 00:20:25,760You had an identity outside of medicine before medicine and you will always have an identity29700:20:25,760 --> 00:20:29,920outside of medicine even if medicine ends today.29800:20:29,920 --> 00:20:36,880But don't wait until medicine leaves yours, taken from you for whatever reason, retirement,29900:20:36,880 --> 00:20:37,880you know, whatever reason.30000:20:37,880 --> 00:20:38,880Don't wait.30100:20:38,880 --> 00:20:44,080Just recognize that, hey, you've always had an identity outside of medicine and you can30200:20:44,080 --> 00:20:49,920come back to experience your fuller identity beyond medicine any time you choose.30300:20:49,920 --> 00:20:53,640Number three is that we've lost some great friends along the way.30400:20:53,640 --> 00:21:00,200And that reminds us that this journey is finite and are we really making the most of the experience30500:21:00,200 --> 00:21:02,640that we're having today?30600:21:02,640 --> 00:21:06,320Number four is that your experience makes for greater contributions within medicine.30700:21:06,320 --> 00:21:10,160And so you go, you get ideas, so you come and you make your experience richer.30800:21:10,160 --> 00:21:16,520And then number five is that having experiences gives you friends outside your field and that30900:21:16,520 --> 00:21:20,560makes you richer in areas other than medicine as well.31000:21:20,560 --> 00:21:24,040So those are five reasons why you should create space for your outside interests.31100:21:24,040 --> 00:21:29,960And I'm curious to know what are some outside interests that you have had that have made31200:21:29,960 --> 00:21:35,560your experience as a physician richer, have enhanced your experience as a clinician scientist31300:21:35,560 --> 00:21:40,240or whatever other ways in which they have enhanced your career?31400:21:40,240 --> 00:21:41,720I would love to hear about it.31500:21:41,720 --> 00:21:47,360If you have something weird like my indoor marathon running, definitely, definitely come31600:21:47,360 --> 00:21:48,360talk to me about it.31700:21:48,360 --> 00:21:50,640I would love to hear, hear about it.31800:21:50,640 --> 00:21:53,760Send me a DM on Facebook or Instagram or even on LinkedIn.31900:21:53,760 --> 00:21:55,400I would love to hear from you.32000:21:55,400 --> 00:21:56,400All right.32100:21:56,400 --> 00:21:58,080It's been a pleasure talking with you today.32200:21:58,080 --> 00:22:04,400I invite you to think about your life and think about all that you've jumped through,32300:22:04,400 --> 00:22:10,080all the hoops you've jumped through up until now and to ask, are you enjoying your journey?32400:22:10,080 --> 00:22:14,560And if you're not, ask how can you enjoy the journey today?32500:22:14,560 --> 00:22:19,600Not tomorrow when you finally get that award or when you finally get that grant.32600:22:19,600 --> 00:22:21,320Not tomorrow, but today.32700:22:21,320 --> 00:22:23,200How can you enjoy the journey today?32800:22:23,200 --> 00:22:24,200All right.32900:22:24,200 --> 00:22:26,160It's been a pleasure talking with you today.33000:22:26,160 --> 00:22:35,840I look forward to talking with you again the next time.33100:22:35,840 --> 00:22:41,200Thanks for listening to this episode of the Clinician Researcher podcast, where academic33200:22:41,200 --> 00:22:46,920clinicians learn the skills to build their own research program, whether or not they33300:22:46,920 --> 00:22:48,000have a mentor.33400:22:48,000 --> 00:22:54,120If you found the information in this episode to be helpful, don't keep it all to yourself.33500:22:54,120 --> 00:22:55,840Someone else needs to hear it.33600:22:55,840 --> 00:22:59,880So take a minute right now and share it.33700:22:59,880 --> 00:23:05,360As you share this episode, you become part of our mission to help launch a new generation33800:23:05,360 --> 00:23:26,400of clinician researchers who make transformative discoveries that change the way we do healthcare.