Keys to Success in 2024

1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,860 Welcome to the Clinician Researcher podcast, where academic clinicians learn the skills 2 00:00:05,860 --> 00:00:11,260 to build their own research program, whether or not they have a mentor. 3 00:00:11,260 --> 00:00:17,340 As clinicians, we spend a decade or more as trainees learning to take care of patients. 4 00:00:17,340 --> 00:00:22,380 When we finally start our careers, we want to build research programs, but then we find 5 00:00:22,380 --> 00:00:27,780 that our years of clinical training did not adequately prepare us to lead our research 6 00:00:27,780 --> 00:00:29,200 program. 7 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:35,480 Through no fault of our own, we struggle to find mentors, and when we can't, we quit. 8 00:00:35,480 --> 00:00:40,580 However, clinicians hold the keys to the greatest research breakthroughs. 9 00:00:40,580 --> 00:00:46,200 For this reason, the Clinician Researcher podcast exists to give academic clinicians 10 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:51,800 the tools to build their own research program, whether or not they have a mentor. 11 00:00:51,800 --> 00:01:01,100 Now introducing your host, Toyosi Onwuemene. 12 00:01:01,100 --> 00:01:03,780 Welcome to the Clinician Researcher podcast. 13 00:01:03,780 --> 00:01:08,560 I'm your host Toyosi Onwuemene, and it is an absolute pleasure to be talking with you today. 14 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:12,760 I am excited to be bringing you what really is kind of like my first official episode 15 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:13,760 of 2024. 16 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:19,340 Yes, I know I did do a broadcast on Friday, and then I was just kind of laying out what 17 00:01:19,340 --> 00:01:23,000 the lay of the land looks like in 2024. 18 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:27,620 And I'm excited to really be talking to you about really a real episode today. 19 00:01:27,620 --> 00:01:28,800 So thank you for joining in. 20 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:30,600 Thank you for participating. 21 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:35,480 And thank you for bearing with me as I was out for the break for a couple of weeks there. 22 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:36,480 All right. 23 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:42,600 So I will tell you that one of the things that really prompted my coming on the show 24 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:48,140 and kind of like changing things up this season was just this need for renewal. 25 00:01:48,140 --> 00:01:51,840 So I'll tell you about how I spent my end of 2024. 26 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:56,780 I actually did work up until the morning of the 25th because I had signed up to be on 27 00:01:56,780 --> 00:02:03,160 call for the week before the day of Christmas for those of you who celebrate Christmas. 28 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:08,480 And I remember just working up to that morning and feeling like, you know, I mean, I was 29 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:12,240 working, you know, when you're working, you just assume everybody else is working too. 30 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:14,720 And so I'm definitely sending emails up until Friday. 31 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:19,400 I'm sending emails on Christmas morning on Monday morning because I was just on call. 32 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:22,620 I'm on call until Monday at 7 a.m. 33 00:02:22,620 --> 00:02:26,240 So I'm sending all these emails, doing all this stuff. 34 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:32,840 And between when I come back from the hospital, finish rounding, finish all my notes and wake 35 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:36,980 up early in the morning, I have the sense of like, I've got to finish all this stuff 36 00:02:36,980 --> 00:02:42,160 so I can go away on vacation because I was out for the last week of the year. 37 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:44,840 And so I rushed, I got all of it done. 38 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:48,720 I was so excited about all the things I got done because I really did want to take that 39 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:52,520 week off and not check email and just not do anything. 40 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:58,640 So I took off that week and we went to the beach and at the beach, it was so beautiful. 41 00:02:58,640 --> 00:03:01,320 The beach is so beautiful in the winter. 42 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:05,840 And one of the things I love about it is that there are not very many people there and it's 43 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:09,360 cold so everybody has to have their clothes on. 44 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:15,240 Yes, that's one of my favorite things about being on the beach at winter time. 45 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:18,640 But anyway, more than that was just the beauty. 46 00:03:18,640 --> 00:03:22,440 Now, actually, I want to say quiet, but it's not true. 47 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:23,880 The beach is quite noisy. 48 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:28,920 Like there's just the water so loud as the waves crash against the shore. 49 00:03:28,920 --> 00:03:30,560 But it's not a jarring noise. 50 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:37,680 It's a very calming and a soothing noise, but a constant awareness of just the voice 51 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:43,560 of nature and the loudness in which we live, but a beautiful, beautiful sound. 52 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:45,800 Anyway, so it was a good time of reflection. 53 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:47,680 And to be honest, I'll tell you the truth. 54 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:52,000 I took work with me and I remember working and working and then getting to a point where 55 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:53,860 I was like, wait a minute, I'm at the beach. 56 00:03:53,860 --> 00:03:55,520 This is time for rest and reflection. 57 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:56,520 What am I doing? 58 00:03:56,520 --> 00:04:01,080 So I put away my work and I really started to think because one of the things that's 59 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:04,120 so important is our ability to think. 60 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:09,360 And so that prompts this episode today, which is just really thinking about one of the keys 61 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:11,760 to success in 2024. 62 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:15,720 So over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be talking about keys to success that I 63 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:18,740 think you should consider as you enter into 2024. 64 00:04:18,740 --> 00:04:21,560 And in reality, right, it's not about 2024. 65 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:23,560 It's just about your whole life. 66 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:28,000 And one of the things I recognize is that the most important things in life are the 67 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,360 things you do every day. 68 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:37,500 Sometimes we take once in a year to go on a lifetime vacation where we actually get 69 00:04:37,500 --> 00:04:39,840 rest, actually mostly not getting rest. 70 00:04:39,840 --> 00:04:46,080 But we do things once in a while and we're like, oh my gosh, this is so big and so good. 71 00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:52,560 And it is good and it is rejuvenating and it does help us, but it's once a year. 72 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:55,320 Or maybe we're like, okay, I'm going to write. 73 00:04:55,320 --> 00:05:00,580 I'm going to just lock myself in my closet and I'm going to just write for hours on end. 74 00:05:00,580 --> 00:05:01,920 And it's so awesome. 75 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:04,400 You produce three manuscripts in that process. 76 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:05,900 Good for you. 77 00:05:05,900 --> 00:05:08,160 But it's just once in a while. 78 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:14,920 And so the things that shape your life, the things that transform you are the things you 79 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:18,520 do every day, every day. 80 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:24,440 And that is why I want to share with you five things that are going to be keys to your success 81 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:26,160 in 2024. 82 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:31,080 And they're keys because they're keys that you need to address every day. 83 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:33,520 The things you do every day shape your life. 84 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:35,400 The food you eat every day shapes your life. 85 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:39,200 The exercise you do or do not do shapes your life. 86 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:43,400 And so your daily habits matter more than anything you do once a week. 87 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:46,480 Okay, so what are these five keys? 88 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:49,720 The first key, oh, actually, I'm just going to tell you what they are first and then I'm 89 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:51,360 going to just talk about them individually. 90 00:05:51,360 --> 00:06:03,800 So these five keys to success in 2024 are, drum roll please, your thoughts, your decisions, 91 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:08,880 your actions, your focus, and your 20%. 92 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:11,800 Okay, here they go again. 93 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:20,440 Your thoughts, your decisions, your actions, your focus, and your 20%. 94 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:21,960 Let's talk about your thoughts. 95 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:24,040 Okay, wow. 96 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:30,800 If I say that the things you do daily impact you the most, then know that the things you 97 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:37,080 do every moment, moment to moment, minute by minute, impact you the greatest. 98 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:42,340 And here's the thing about us, we're always thinking thoughts, always thinking thoughts. 99 00:06:42,340 --> 00:06:46,960 And so if we capture the number of thoughts we think a day, I'm sure someone's done the 100 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:48,880 math, I haven't looked at it. 101 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:52,560 But holy cow, it's a couple of billion or maybe even a trillion, we're always having 102 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:53,560 thoughts. 103 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:56,400 And for some of us, our minds are racing. 104 00:06:56,400 --> 00:07:03,320 And like in a span of five minutes, we could have probably a couple of thousand thoughts. 105 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:09,680 And so the point is not the numbers, but the fact that, wow, thinking may be the thing 106 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:15,700 we do more often even than our breathing, which is a really important thing that I know 107 00:07:15,700 --> 00:07:19,280 you do every day if you're listening to me, right? 108 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:21,400 Your thoughts. 109 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:24,400 And here's the thing about your thoughts and why they're important. 110 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:29,760 That's why breathing is not on the list is that breathing is mostly an involuntary action. 111 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:32,800 Like you're breathing whether you're thinking about it or not. 112 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:38,580 Your thoughts are many times involuntary, but they can be controlled. 113 00:07:38,580 --> 00:07:42,520 You have power over the thoughts that you think. 114 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:56,300 And the quality of your experience as a clinician scientist, clinician researcher, drives the 115 00:07:56,300 --> 00:07:59,040 quality of your experience. 116 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:03,220 The quality of your thoughts drives the quality of your experience. 117 00:08:03,220 --> 00:08:09,980 In fact, honestly, the quality of your thoughts drives the quality of your life. 118 00:08:09,980 --> 00:08:18,940 And so, if you're going to master 2024, if you're going to master your life forever, 119 00:08:18,940 --> 00:08:24,060 you really are going to be somebody who masters your thought life. 120 00:08:24,060 --> 00:08:28,340 Everything you've ever accomplished, you've accomplished because you thought it first. 121 00:08:28,340 --> 00:08:30,940 You thought it was possible, therefore you went for it. 122 00:08:30,940 --> 00:08:32,700 And I'm talking to clinicians here, right? 123 00:08:32,700 --> 00:08:36,980 So you did this amazingly incredible thing relative to the rest of the world where you 124 00:08:36,980 --> 00:08:41,940 went off for years and years and you studied and for years and years you took exams over 125 00:08:41,940 --> 00:08:45,980 and over again to get to this place where you were like, okay, now I'm going to just 126 00:08:45,980 --> 00:08:50,380 stop sleeping every couple of nights so that I can do this. 127 00:08:50,380 --> 00:08:57,060 You thought it was possible and therefore you went for it and you did it. 128 00:08:57,060 --> 00:09:01,220 If you think about the things you didn't succeed in, the things you're like, oh, I'm never 129 00:09:01,220 --> 00:09:04,260 going to make it, and then you didn't make it. 130 00:09:04,260 --> 00:09:08,860 And it really did start with your thoughts because you didn't think you were going to 131 00:09:08,860 --> 00:09:13,340 make it, therefore you didn't make the effort to make it, and therefore you proved yourself 132 00:09:13,340 --> 00:09:16,100 to be exactly right. 133 00:09:16,100 --> 00:09:21,540 There is a quote, and I'm not sure who said it, but it's not mine, so just owning that 134 00:09:21,540 --> 00:09:23,020 and I'll add it to the show notes. 135 00:09:23,020 --> 00:09:29,420 It says, if you think you can or you think you can't, you're right. 136 00:09:29,420 --> 00:09:32,820 And that is so powerful and so sad. 137 00:09:32,820 --> 00:09:38,380 If you think you can or you think you can or whether you think you can or you think 138 00:09:38,380 --> 00:09:41,740 you can't, you're right. 139 00:09:41,740 --> 00:09:47,780 And so if you're going to have the life you want, if you're going to have the life that 140 00:09:47,780 --> 00:09:52,660 matters, if you're going to have a life that makes a difference this year, you're going 141 00:09:52,660 --> 00:10:00,220 to be very intentional about the quality of the thoughts that you think this year. 142 00:10:00,220 --> 00:10:04,060 Now these keys I'm going to go into a little bit more detail over the next couple of episodes, 143 00:10:04,060 --> 00:10:07,020 so they're about six episodes where I'll talk about each of these. 144 00:10:07,020 --> 00:10:11,140 I mean actually six episodes including this one where I talk about these keys to the year, 145 00:10:11,140 --> 00:10:14,100 so I'm going to go into more detail about your thoughts. 146 00:10:14,100 --> 00:10:19,660 That suffice it to say that your thoughts matter. 147 00:10:19,660 --> 00:10:22,620 Where your thoughts are produced matters. 148 00:10:22,620 --> 00:10:28,300 Who is in charge of giving you fodder for your thoughts matters. 149 00:10:28,300 --> 00:10:33,060 What enters into your line of vision matters. 150 00:10:33,060 --> 00:10:39,580 What you hear matters because all of it drives the quality of your thinking. 151 00:10:39,580 --> 00:10:44,900 And so if you're going to be someone who is successful as a clinician, scientist or honestly 152 00:10:44,900 --> 00:10:49,340 in every area of your life, you're going to be somebody who masters your thinking. 153 00:10:49,340 --> 00:10:51,260 You're going to elevate your thinking. 154 00:10:51,260 --> 00:10:57,420 You're going to transform your thinking because transforming your thinking is the first step 155 00:10:57,420 --> 00:10:59,940 to transforming your experience. 156 00:10:59,940 --> 00:11:03,980 So that's number one, your thoughts. 157 00:11:03,980 --> 00:11:09,340 The second key to success that I want to talk about is your decisions. 158 00:11:09,340 --> 00:11:13,020 Now you could say that all things emanate from your thoughts and the quality of your 159 00:11:13,020 --> 00:11:14,620 thoughts drive your decision. 160 00:11:14,620 --> 00:11:21,580 But I do want to share with you that your decisions are mostly actions that you're mostly 161 00:11:21,580 --> 00:11:22,580 active about. 162 00:11:22,580 --> 00:11:26,620 So if your thoughts run away and you're like oh when did I get to thinking about that? 163 00:11:26,620 --> 00:11:30,700 You actually have to really, really work hard to control your thoughts. 164 00:11:30,700 --> 00:11:37,140 Your decisions, your decisions you're intentionally making. 165 00:11:37,140 --> 00:11:42,900 And one thing that's going to be so important is the quality of the decisions you make. 166 00:11:42,900 --> 00:11:49,180 And so I want to encourage and invite you to really pay attention to the things that 167 00:11:49,180 --> 00:11:52,580 help you make high quality decisions. 168 00:11:52,580 --> 00:11:53,580 High quality decisions. 169 00:11:53,580 --> 00:11:55,920 And here's a challenge for many of us. 170 00:11:55,920 --> 00:12:00,420 We experience decision fatigue because we start early in the morning making all these 171 00:12:00,420 --> 00:12:04,460 decisions and then by the time we're halfway through the day we're just so tired. 172 00:12:04,460 --> 00:12:05,860 We have decision fatigue. 173 00:12:05,860 --> 00:12:11,700 And so if we're going to be successful we're going to be very intentional about our decision 174 00:12:11,700 --> 00:12:12,700 making. 175 00:12:12,700 --> 00:12:17,100 We're going to protect our ability to make good decisions. 176 00:12:17,100 --> 00:12:19,900 We're going to protect the quality of our decisions. 177 00:12:19,900 --> 00:12:26,780 And we're going to find the information that helps us make good quality decisions. 178 00:12:26,780 --> 00:12:31,420 We're also going to protect our ability to make decisions by sleeping better. 179 00:12:31,420 --> 00:12:32,500 Getting some rest. 180 00:12:32,500 --> 00:12:36,860 I'm excited because the episode on Friday is about getting rest. 181 00:12:36,860 --> 00:12:39,780 You're going to want to pay attention to that. 182 00:12:39,780 --> 00:12:46,660 But yes, you protect the quality of your decision making because the decisions you make drive 183 00:12:46,660 --> 00:12:52,100 your life, the decisions you make drive your experience, the decisions you make drive the 184 00:12:52,100 --> 00:12:54,820 experience of the people around you. 185 00:12:54,820 --> 00:13:01,260 And so the quality of your decisions is going to be so key as you're moving forward. 186 00:13:01,260 --> 00:13:05,540 I'm looking forward to sharing with you about two weeks from now about how you can enhance 187 00:13:05,540 --> 00:13:07,900 the quality of your decisions. 188 00:13:07,900 --> 00:13:09,380 Okay. 189 00:13:09,380 --> 00:13:10,820 Number three, your actions. 190 00:13:10,820 --> 00:13:12,900 Okay, this goes without saying. 191 00:13:12,900 --> 00:13:14,060 You're not taking action. 192 00:13:14,060 --> 00:13:15,900 You're not accomplishing much. 193 00:13:15,900 --> 00:13:16,900 But you know what? 194 00:13:16,900 --> 00:13:17,900 You're a clinician. 195 00:13:17,900 --> 00:13:20,820 So you are not a not action taker. 196 00:13:20,820 --> 00:13:23,300 I know it's the double negative there. 197 00:13:23,300 --> 00:13:25,540 You're an action taker. 198 00:13:25,540 --> 00:13:26,540 That's what you do. 199 00:13:26,540 --> 00:13:27,540 You take action. 200 00:13:27,540 --> 00:13:30,600 And I know you take action because hey, you couldn't have come this far if you were not 201 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:32,020 an action taker. 202 00:13:32,020 --> 00:13:34,500 You are a massive action taker. 203 00:13:34,500 --> 00:13:42,140 So to be honest, for us clinicians, clinician scientists, taking action is not our problem. 204 00:13:42,140 --> 00:13:46,900 What is our problem is that our action is many times diffused. 205 00:13:46,900 --> 00:13:48,900 It's all over the place. 206 00:13:48,900 --> 00:13:51,100 Somebody says, hey, hey, hey, you haven't finished your notes. 207 00:13:51,100 --> 00:13:52,820 That's the action you're taking. 208 00:13:52,820 --> 00:13:54,020 You've just closed shop. 209 00:13:54,020 --> 00:13:58,580 You stopped doing everything, including working on your research so you can wrap up the notes. 210 00:13:58,580 --> 00:14:03,180 I know I spent three days sleeping in my office one day just trying to close charts. 211 00:14:03,180 --> 00:14:04,180 Okay. 212 00:14:04,180 --> 00:14:05,180 Writing notes. 213 00:14:05,180 --> 00:14:10,980 And then somebody else says, hey, hey, the fellows are complaining that the pager, the 214 00:14:10,980 --> 00:14:13,740 pager is just overwhelming. 215 00:14:13,740 --> 00:14:16,380 And then you're like, oh, okay, I'm just, you know what? 216 00:14:16,380 --> 00:14:17,380 They can take off a week. 217 00:14:17,380 --> 00:14:20,420 I'm going to cover the pager. 218 00:14:20,420 --> 00:14:23,620 And then somebody else is like, hey, hey, hey, the med students say that you're not 219 00:14:23,620 --> 00:14:24,620 teaching enough. 220 00:14:24,620 --> 00:14:26,220 Like, oh, okay. 221 00:14:26,220 --> 00:14:32,020 While trying to finish all my charts and cover the fellows pager, I'm going to create PowerPoints 222 00:14:32,020 --> 00:14:33,940 for every time we round. 223 00:14:33,940 --> 00:14:34,940 Yeah. 224 00:14:34,940 --> 00:14:37,100 You're a massive action taker. 225 00:14:37,100 --> 00:14:40,340 But many times our actions are just all over the place. 226 00:14:40,340 --> 00:14:47,460 They're diffuse or they're spread across so many things that we're not really making traction 227 00:14:47,460 --> 00:14:49,660 in any one direction. 228 00:14:49,660 --> 00:14:53,700 We're doing a lot of stuff, but we're not making traction. 229 00:14:53,700 --> 00:14:57,040 Our emotion is kind of stilted. 230 00:14:57,040 --> 00:15:03,680 And so if we're going to be successful in 2024 and beyond, we're going to pay attention 231 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:05,100 to the actions we take. 232 00:15:05,100 --> 00:15:12,540 I'm going to take the actions that move us forward in the way that transforms our experience. 233 00:15:12,540 --> 00:15:20,740 So an important key to success in 2024 is your actions. 234 00:15:20,740 --> 00:15:24,180 The fourth key is your focus. 235 00:15:24,180 --> 00:15:25,760 So important. 236 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:27,540 So many of us can focus. 237 00:15:27,540 --> 00:15:32,020 And for those of us who don't have as great power and focus, you have some help to do 238 00:15:32,020 --> 00:15:36,900 that, whether it's pharmacological help or it's psychological help. 239 00:15:36,900 --> 00:15:37,900 You have help to do that. 240 00:15:37,900 --> 00:15:41,060 And if you're successful, you are able to focus. 241 00:15:41,060 --> 00:15:46,460 But the reality, kind of like our actions being spread across many things, is that it's 242 00:15:46,460 --> 00:15:47,860 the same for our focus. 243 00:15:47,860 --> 00:15:53,100 There's a lot of times that our focus is distracted. 244 00:15:53,100 --> 00:15:55,700 We're in the middle of writing, the pager goes off. 245 00:15:55,700 --> 00:15:57,500 We're in the middle of writing, our phone buzzes. 246 00:15:57,500 --> 00:16:00,180 In the middle of writing, a text comes in. 247 00:16:00,180 --> 00:16:05,060 We're in the middle of writing, we hear the ping of the email, and we lose focus. 248 00:16:05,060 --> 00:16:12,260 And if we're going to be successful, we've got to harness our focus like a laser to do 249 00:16:12,260 --> 00:16:15,140 some deadly, powerful damage. 250 00:16:15,140 --> 00:16:17,940 Actually, I really mean like good stuff. 251 00:16:17,940 --> 00:16:19,700 Not good, not bad damage, good damage. 252 00:16:19,700 --> 00:16:24,420 Kind of like, you know, a laser or laser eye surgery. 253 00:16:24,420 --> 00:16:30,820 A laser can be destructive, but the reason you focus so much energy in one point is because 254 00:16:30,820 --> 00:16:33,520 you want to use it to do good. 255 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:39,500 You focus all the energy of the laser so you can use it to do good. 256 00:16:39,500 --> 00:16:46,020 And so, if we're going to be successful in 2024 and beyond, we're going to learn to use 257 00:16:46,020 --> 00:16:48,660 our focus like a laser. 258 00:16:48,660 --> 00:16:52,540 And at the end of it, we're going to achieve the same results as Lasik surgery. 259 00:16:52,540 --> 00:16:59,780 Yes, we are, because we use the laser in a focused way that helps us accomplish things. 260 00:16:59,780 --> 00:17:02,980 And we can sit back and say, I did that. 261 00:17:02,980 --> 00:17:06,180 I used laser focus and look at what I accomplished. 262 00:17:06,180 --> 00:17:14,860 So, a key to your success in 2024 and beyond is your focus and especially harnessing its 263 00:17:14,860 --> 00:17:17,300 power like a laser. 264 00:17:17,300 --> 00:17:19,500 Yes, to give you laser focus. 265 00:17:19,500 --> 00:17:22,220 Okay, that's your focus. 266 00:17:22,220 --> 00:17:27,060 And then number five is my favorite because it's the one I feel like I continue to work 267 00:17:27,060 --> 00:17:28,820 on consistently. 268 00:17:28,820 --> 00:17:31,420 All these things are things I'm working on. 269 00:17:31,420 --> 00:17:33,900 Number five, number five is the thing. 270 00:17:33,900 --> 00:17:35,380 It's the 20%. 271 00:17:35,380 --> 00:17:43,580 Wow, in life, there will never be enough time to do all the things you don't want to do. 272 00:17:43,580 --> 00:17:45,900 And that was a quote by someone that... 273 00:17:45,900 --> 00:17:50,340 Gosh, I don't remember. 274 00:17:50,340 --> 00:17:56,300 I'm going to have to put this one in the show notes, but it's a quote I love so much. 275 00:17:56,300 --> 00:17:57,700 I remember it all the time. 276 00:17:57,700 --> 00:18:06,900 It's like, you will never have enough time to do all the things you don't want to do. 277 00:18:06,900 --> 00:18:08,580 There will always be stuff to do. 278 00:18:08,580 --> 00:18:12,260 And as clinicians, our to-do list is huge. 279 00:18:12,260 --> 00:18:20,020 And then we have the epic inbox or whatever your electronic medical record is. 280 00:18:20,020 --> 00:18:21,380 You have that inbox. 281 00:18:21,380 --> 00:18:23,620 You have your regular work inbox. 282 00:18:23,620 --> 00:18:25,900 And then you have your personal inbox. 283 00:18:25,900 --> 00:18:31,380 And if you're like me, you have personal inboxes across different email providers. 284 00:18:31,380 --> 00:18:33,660 And wow, that's a lot of stuff. 285 00:18:33,660 --> 00:18:39,540 A lot of things coming through, asking you to do things, asking you to vote for something 286 00:18:39,540 --> 00:18:43,980 or invest in something or choose something or attend something. 287 00:18:43,980 --> 00:18:48,260 There is a lot to do in life. 288 00:18:48,260 --> 00:18:53,900 And most of it is trivial. 289 00:18:53,900 --> 00:18:57,300 This is where I quote George McKeon. 290 00:18:57,300 --> 00:18:59,740 Oh my goodness. 291 00:18:59,740 --> 00:19:00,740 He wrote Essentialism. 292 00:19:00,740 --> 00:19:01,740 I know, but it is George. 293 00:19:01,740 --> 00:19:07,780 I will definitely find it and put it in the show notes at the end. 294 00:19:07,780 --> 00:19:10,220 But wow, what a great book. 295 00:19:10,220 --> 00:19:16,300 It talks about the vital few versus the trivial many. 296 00:19:16,300 --> 00:19:23,060 And so if we're going to be successful in 2024 and beyond, we're going to select the 297 00:19:23,060 --> 00:19:24,820 vital few to work on. 298 00:19:24,820 --> 00:19:27,900 Now, the trivial many, they will always be with us, always. 299 00:19:27,900 --> 00:19:31,020 If we never finish them, they will be with us. 300 00:19:31,020 --> 00:19:38,300 If we somehow miraculously finish them in a day, ooh, a lot more trivial many will come. 301 00:19:38,300 --> 00:19:42,640 So the trivial many will never go away. 302 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:46,580 We will always be working on the trivial many if we choose. 303 00:19:46,580 --> 00:19:48,060 Oh, I want you to choose. 304 00:19:48,060 --> 00:19:53,180 I want to invite you to do this year is to focus on the vital few. 305 00:19:53,180 --> 00:19:55,060 Every day, just do three. 306 00:19:55,060 --> 00:19:57,620 Three vital few things. 307 00:19:57,620 --> 00:19:59,460 And let everything else fall where it may. 308 00:19:59,460 --> 00:20:03,620 If you don't get to the end of the trivial many, it's like, oh, I didn't get to the end 309 00:20:03,620 --> 00:20:04,620 of this list. 310 00:20:04,620 --> 00:20:09,260 Oh, sucks for you, trivial many. 311 00:20:09,260 --> 00:20:12,700 So those are the five keys to success in 2024. 312 00:20:12,700 --> 00:20:14,340 I'll review them one more time. 313 00:20:14,340 --> 00:20:20,460 Your thoughts, your decisions, your actions, your focus, and your 20%. 314 00:20:20,460 --> 00:20:24,860 So the next few weeks, I am going to go through each of them in more detail and shed more 315 00:20:24,860 --> 00:20:26,380 light on each of them. 316 00:20:26,380 --> 00:20:30,820 So you could probably sit and write your own podcast episodes on your own. 317 00:20:30,820 --> 00:20:36,140 I do want to share with you that these are important things to your success in 2024. 318 00:20:36,140 --> 00:20:41,980 And one of the things I want to invite you to do is to take some time to reflect. 319 00:20:41,980 --> 00:20:43,500 What do you want to create this year? 320 00:20:43,500 --> 00:20:48,580 I think the year is still new enough that if you haven't thought about it, it's an 321 00:20:48,580 --> 00:20:49,940 opportunity to do it. 322 00:20:49,940 --> 00:20:53,780 What do you want to create in your research program? 323 00:20:53,780 --> 00:20:56,940 What do you want to create with your life? 324 00:20:56,940 --> 00:21:02,900 And intentionality is key because the moment you decide, it's like setting the directions 325 00:21:02,900 --> 00:21:04,500 that the GPS. 326 00:21:04,500 --> 00:21:11,380 You don't give the GPS the directions, you give the GPS the destination, and the GPS 327 00:21:11,380 --> 00:21:16,100 tells you the directions by which you get there. 328 00:21:16,100 --> 00:21:18,420 And there are not that many sets of directions. 329 00:21:18,420 --> 00:21:23,260 It's like three or four because there are very few ways to get to the place you want 330 00:21:23,260 --> 00:21:28,780 to go, but so many ways to get to where you don't want to go. 331 00:21:28,780 --> 00:21:32,540 And so I'm inviting you today to set the intention for 2024. 332 00:21:32,540 --> 00:21:35,260 What do you want to accomplish in your research career? 333 00:21:35,260 --> 00:21:39,820 What do you want to accomplish with your life? 334 00:21:39,820 --> 00:21:45,740 And you do that, and that helps you decide what are the thoughts I need, what are the 335 00:21:45,740 --> 00:21:51,220 decisions I need, what are the actions I need, what do I need to focus on, and what are the 336 00:21:51,220 --> 00:21:54,140 20% of activities that get me there. 337 00:21:54,140 --> 00:21:59,380 And yeah, just to pause and say the 20% is the whole principle, the Pareto principle, 338 00:21:59,380 --> 00:22:06,940 the 80-20 rule, 20% of your actions give you 80% of your results, just for those of you 339 00:22:06,940 --> 00:22:10,740 who may not be familiar with the 20% principle. 340 00:22:10,740 --> 00:22:15,420 I'll speak more about it when I get to that episode about five weeks from now, I believe. 341 00:22:15,420 --> 00:22:20,620 Anyway, I want to thank you so much for taking the time to listen today, for spending any 342 00:22:20,620 --> 00:22:21,620 time with me. 343 00:22:21,620 --> 00:22:24,100 I mean, I think it's a privilege to spend time with me. 344 00:22:24,100 --> 00:22:25,900 I do it all the time, and it's so awesome. 345 00:22:25,900 --> 00:22:29,980 And I want to thank you, because you're really awesome, I bet you spend a lot of time with 346 00:22:29,980 --> 00:22:30,980 you too. 347 00:22:30,980 --> 00:22:35,820 And so that you would take away from the time you spend with you to spend with me is really 348 00:22:35,820 --> 00:22:36,820 big deal. 349 00:22:36,820 --> 00:22:37,820 I want to say thank you. 350 00:22:37,820 --> 00:22:43,700 Thank you for letting me your ears and your understanding in your heart to listen to what 351 00:22:43,700 --> 00:22:45,100 I have to say. 352 00:22:45,100 --> 00:22:49,860 I invite you to share this episode with just one person, not three, not four, not five, 353 00:22:49,860 --> 00:22:54,940 not a whole listserv, but just one person who needs to be encouraged as they look forward 354 00:22:54,940 --> 00:22:59,340 to their 2024 as they look forward to doing something new and amazing with their 2024. 355 00:22:59,340 --> 00:23:00,340 All right. 356 00:23:00,340 --> 00:23:04,180 It's been a pleasure, an absolute pleasure talking with you today. 357 00:23:04,180 --> 00:23:14,340 And I look forward to the next time. 358 00:23:14,340 --> 00:23:19,700 Thanks for listening to this episode of the Clinician Researcher podcast, where academic 359 00:23:19,700 --> 00:23:25,420 clinicians learn the skills to build their own research program, whether or not they 360 00:23:25,420 --> 00:23:26,500 have a mentor. 361 00:23:26,500 --> 00:23:32,460 If you found the information in this episode to be helpful, don't keep it all to yourself. 362 00:23:32,460 --> 00:23:34,340 Someone else needs to hear it. 363 00:23:34,340 --> 00:23:38,380 So take a minute right now and share it. 364 00:23:38,380 --> 00:23:43,860 As you share this episode, you become part of our mission to help launch a new generation 365 00:23:43,860 --> 00:23:49,620 of clinician researchers who make transformative discoveries that change the way we do healthcare. 366 00:23:49,620 --> 00:23:50,620 Thank you. 367 00:23:50,620 --> 00:24:20,020 Good luck.