What’s on your “thought playlist”?
We have approximately sixty thousand thoughts a day, which is an absolutely mind-blowing number. It also represents an incredible number of daily opportunities we have to create a new inner world.
Think about this as having different playlists. Some songs you listen to once in a while, some make you think "WTF, how did this get on here?" and others are just like background noise by now because they've been played so often.
It's so worth starting to take more notice of what this background noise sounds like.
Popular hits from clinicians I've coached are:
People aren't willing to invest in their health
They're so ungrateful
They don't take responsibility for their own health
They don't listen
The world is so messed up these days (or another more explicit version)
I don't have enough patients
I don't know enough
I'm always doing everything for everyone else
I should take another course
They just want the quick fix
I get taken advantage of
I'm not really helping people
I'm too nice
I'm so exhausted
People don't respect what I do
I don't want to be doing this work
and the list goes on...
Any of these sound familiar?
Now, if you're enjoying this playlist & it's creating all the things you want in your life & career, then please don't let me yuck your yum.
But if not, I want to suggest that you can listen to (and maybe create for the first time) a whole new one.
And you might be saying "Savannah, slow down" (that's me trying to keep up with social media trends)
But these are TRUE, you might say.
And sure, I don't doubt that they feel that way. If you try, you can usually find evidence for why the opposite is true too. But more importantly, I want to suggest that whether it's true is kind of irrelevant if it's not USEFUL.
If it's not actually helping you create something different, feel different or create a new perspective. If it's not actually helping you be a better clinician or serve your patients better. If it's not helping you become the person you're wanting to become.
But I'm also not suggesting that you find another thought (or another playlist) that doesn't feel like YOU or that doesn't feel true. Forcing ourselves to believe things we don't is unhelpful and ineffective because it doesn't change how we feel or how we behave.
Instead, find ones that also feel true but are more useful. And start playing those more often.
Look at these thoughts and notice which ones you already believe, or can find some evidence for:
My work matters
I'm so grateful to be able to help people every day
It's important that I'm filled up & taken care of
I'm learning to communicate why this is important for people to invest in
I want to be an example to others - a model, not a martyr
I'm learning every single day
My patients are doing the best they can
There are so many incredible people in the world
Sometimes people just need someone to listen to them
I'm going to make the 'slow fix' just as desirable as the 'quick fix'
I'm creating a movement
This is my life's work
It's also important what I think of me
I have patients that are so grateful for the work I do
I know enough, I have enough & I am enough
The more of these kinds of thoughts you have playing in your brain the more you will find evidence for them, and you'll start to notice shifts in the way you feel and how you show up in the world.
This isn't about forcing positivity or gratitude onto unfair or inappropriate situations. In fact, you are more likely to advocate for yourself, set boundaries and have the hard conversations with other people when you believe these thoughts. You're just reorienting yourself and being intentional about your own narrative.
This also reinforces a sense of authorship over your life and career, instead of feeling like you're just a passenger being swept around by the external world (or to stick to our original metaphor, instead of feeling like you're just at the mercy of the playlist the driver chose to blast, you get to play DJ).
So... which thought(s) would you like to listen to more often? And for bonus points, tell me the name of your new playlist 😁
