I’d like you to take a moment to do some exploration with me. Let’s reflect on a few questions, with the intention of enriching our work lives: What’s your ultimate goal as a clinician? What do you care about most as you go about your daily life? What you care about may change regularly, or it may stay the same throughout your career.

What is it that matters to you?

If you’re unsure, you can reflect a bit more:

• What books do you read in your free time?

• Which studies and research do you follow?

• What are the regular topics of conversation you’re having with family, friends and colleagues?

• What is the hardest for you to hear about in the news?

• What are you confused by or curious about?

• What makes you sad or angry?

Knowing what matters to you on a personal level is a key to ensuring you are engaging in meaningful work. Be sure to reflect on this before you begin supervision. And if you’re not sure about what matters to you, invite a trusted friend out to tea and do some brainstorming together. Ensure your supervisor has this information, so they can help you constantly tie the work you do to your overall goal/mission.

If you want to read more about the value of purpose-driven work and mindset, read here. And if you want to skip straight to the longitudinal research referenced in the article above, which shows that purposeful living and work is a consistent predictor of health benefits in aging, read here.  

Stay tuned for part two, where we’ll do a short but helpful clarifying activity. In the meantime, tell me below about which focus stands out the most to you right now.