It’s Time for “The Great Rē_____”
Taking time for rēcovery, rēflection, rēcalibration, and rēprioritization is not selfish, but rather sanity and ultimately good stewardship of your life energy. Me
Last year it was called “The Great Resignation,” a phenomenon of the pandemic workplace where people chose to vacate their jobs rather than just resume the “old normal” of slogging to the office every day. The Gallop organization called it the “Great Discontent.” I’m calling it the “Great Rēprioritization” (of values), the “Great Rēduction” (in desired work hours) and in some cases, the “Great Rēlocation” (pursing a better job). Whatever you want to call it, it seems that the sentiment of many is, “I can’t/won’t go back to ‘the way it was’ prior to the pandemic.”
Indeed, after many years of working long hours and sacrificing other priorities while being dedicated to a noble but demanding and seemingly insatiable profession, the past 30 months of the pandemic has caused many who work in healthcare to ask an important but often disorienting question: “Is this worth it?!” And the answer that many are hearing is, “not in its present form.” Which leads to an all-important follow-up question: “What then do I want?”
Part of the inspiration for the PeerRxMed process was the recognition that the work we do in healthcare will regularly create conditions that can cause us to become “off-course” and potentially drain us of the energy we need to establish and maintain our personal and professional well-being. Under such circumstances, we risk becoming distanced from identity, from meaning, from priorities, from perspective, and from each other. That is why we need to schedule regular time for rēcovery, rēflection, rēcalibration, and rēprioritization and also why we need to regularly rēconnect with others who can help provide input, encouragement, and accountability.
A vital component of the PeerRxMed process (what I call PRx90) is the quarterly “up to 90 minutes every 90 days” check-in intended to provide a deliberate space for that rēconnection with ourselves and our PeerRxMed partner. Here’s a rēminder of that Process . As September comes to an end, it’s time to schedule that quarterly meeting once again. To help guide that time, here are some questions to consider for dialogue together:
What would you say are your top 3 priorities presently and how are you incorporating them deliberately into your life?
What have you learned about yourself over the past 3 months?
What are your personal/professional goals over the next three months? What is one that will cause disappointment if you have not accomplished it when we meet again in 3 months?
What are your dreams both personally and professionally? How are you taking action to move toward them?
When’s your next vacation / adventure / break? What will you do that will be fun for you?
Regularly rēenergizing is often neglected by those who are always “on the go” and/or perpetually “needed by others.” Rēfuse to be one of them! Rēsolve to schedule some time alone and with your PeerRxMed partner in the next 3 weeks for a “life check-up” to ensure you’re on target to be living the life you want to be living using the questions above as a guide. Doing so regularly will be an important investment in “rēgret prevention.” It’s time for your “Great Rē_____.” Choose wisely.