“The word ‘should’ is an enemy of growth and a thief of joy.”
―Kevin Ngo 

The first time I heard the phrase “shoulding all over yourself,” I laughed.  As a gastroenterologist, I have a particular affinity for poop jokes.  It might not be obvious when you read the phrase, but say it out l...

“We’re afraid that the feeling of joy won’t last, or that the other shoe is going to drop. We think, ‘I’m feeling good, this can’t be right; something bad is going to happen.’” 

—Brené Brown

Foreboding Joy. I didn’t make it up. I had never even heard of foreboding joy until I read Dar...

“If you have integrity, nothing else matters. 

If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.”

–Harvey Mackay

Here’s something I never thought I’d say: I attended a conference for entrepreneurs. Over the years, I’ve been to countless medical conferences where the atmosphere is f...

“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it.  Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable.  Only when we are brave enough...

Have you heard the commencement speech given by David Foster Wallace, called This Is Water?  I hadn’t.  It isn’t your typical commencement speech filled with hope and inspiration.  Instead, it is an in-depth look at the monotony of everyday life.  It is all of the things you didn’t know about...

Here are some words I never imagined saying: I recently attended a conference for entrepreneurs.  I was surrounded by impressive individuals putting themselves in the proverbial arena with the goal of disrupting struggles and pain points for their future customers.  An entire afternoon was...

“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”
―William James 

If your house is anything like mine, you’ve probably seen the hit Disney film Encanto more than a few times.  And while everyone else is talking about not talking about Bruno, it is an...

 “There” is no better than “here.” When your “there” has become a “here,” you will simply obtain another “there” that will again look better than “here.” 

― Jack Canfield, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit 

Physicians are not strangers to the...

One of the biggest struggles of my adult life has been the elusive idea of work-life balance.  It seems like a simple concept.  First, determine your priorities.  Then, live your life aligned with those priorities.  Easy peasy.  But somehow, every time I attempt this exercise, things go awry. ...

Foreboding Joy.  I didn’t make it up.  In fact, I had never even heard of foreboding joy.  I had also never heard of Brené Brown, the author of Daring Greatly, where I was first introduced to the idea of foreboding joy.  If you haven’t read Daring Greatly, stop what you are doing and go get a cop...

I wanted to write about the power of positive thinking.  I wanted to tell you that having good thoughts can serve you.  I wanted to start by quoting Roald Dahl: "If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams, and you will always look lovely." But it didn't feel auth...

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The idea of leaning into discomfort is a tough one for me. I’d love to blame it on age, but I have always been this way.  It feels safer to take the road mor...