Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Use a beginner’s mind in your medical practice

Philippa Kennealy, MD, MPH
Physician
October 2, 2011
91 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

As a mom and first-time parent, I marveled at my tiny daughter’s curiosity about and interest in the world. Her quest for knowledge was insatiable and her ability to sit absorbed in what she was doing and the moment enviable. Now that she’s 8 (“8 and a quarter, mom!”, said with a sigh and an attitude), she seems to have morphed into a smart, verging-on-sassy pre-tween who’s beginning to think she knows it all and is sure her mother is quite moronic at times.

As physician business or medical practice owners, we are equally likely to go from youthful idealists starting out in practice, or our newly discovered nonclinical business, to blasé and even somewhat jaded practitioners of our crafts.

I came across an article on the Zen Buddhist concept of “beginner’s mind” recently, that instantly revealed a marvelous perspective with which to step back and re-look at our businesses, and even our lives.

First, let’s all agree on what we’re talking about here. I like to think of a “beginner’s mind” as one that is innocent, free of expectations, judgments and biases. It’s a mind that still retains the ability to explore, while filled with curiosity, wonder and even amazement. “What’s this? What’s that all about? I wonder what that means?”

It’s the opposite of an intellectual, you-can’t-teach-me-anything, self-satisfied confidence.

These then are my five ideas on how we might apply our beginner’s minds to our businesses:

1. Focus on one step at a time. When faced with the decision to start a new business, change physician careers, or even refocus on our existing medical practices or businesses, we immediately leap to the daunting future question of how we can make that Huge Big Thing happen.

My daughter didn’t figure out what was going to take for her to run a marathon while plonked on the ground in her diaper. She just got up and took her first tentative steps. Unconsciously, instinctively, she knew the rest would take place later.

Tip: boil down your big new adventure to what little steps you can take immediately… And then do it over and over again.

2. Fall down five times, get back up six. Back to our metaphor of learning to walk. A newly-minted toddler is filled with determination and drive. She takes a step or two, falls and gets right back up again. It takes days and even weeks before she masters 10 yards. When did you last apply your drive and motivation with such intensity and dedication?

Tip: Be willing and open to learning. It’s okay not to get it right the first time.

3.  Keep your mind willing. Martial arts offer us many insights into the beginner’s mind. In fact a more literal translation from the Japanese is a “receptive mind”. I take this to mean a mind that is open to not knowing the answer right away, to sitting with ambivalence or ambiguity and being okay with that, or to be willing to be surprised by the as-yet-undiscovered answers. The willing mind encourages intuition.

Tip: Take the pressure off yourself from having to have all the answers about your business right away. Have fun with the discovery instead.

4.  No more “Have to’s.” And musts, can’ts, shoulds and shouldn’ts! Those are other people’s ideas for how to live your life. By now, you have your own inner wisdom and moral code and this is enough to guide you. Your Beginner Mind is free to choose its own path, and your business or practice will blossom in response.

Tip: Toss the habitual “have to” response. Choose your own destiny.

5.  Let go of being The Consummate Professional. This is going to sound both heretical and paradoxical, as I so often encourage my clients to position themselves as experts in their marketplace. What we’re talking about here is different. What we’re talking about is our drive and need to perform as The Consummate Professional — someone with tiptop knowledge — in all the areas of our lives. Parenting, spousing, doctoring, running our homes, even at play! We don’t allow ourselves not to know. I came across this quote from an article that really resonated:

It’s difficult to let go of being an expert. Because it means confessing that we really know nothing. What we know belongs to the past. Whereas this moment now is new and offers its unique challenges. If I let go of being an expert, I can listen to others with an open mind. Then I can find that even a beginner has something to teach me.

Tip: Letting go of knowing everything allows you to be open to new learning.

I encourage you to explore the experience of your beginner’s mind. How do you really listen to your own inner voice? How does it feel to break the big tasks and goals into teeny little steps? What’s it like to stay focused on the moment in front of you and not stray into worrying about the future?

Philippa Kennealy is a family physician and certified physician development coach who blogs at The Entrepreneurial MD.

Submit a guest post and be heard on social media’s leading physician voice.

Prev

I concentrated to distill all that I had learned about death

October 1, 2011 Kevin 2
…
Next

Sometimes cyber-medicine is fraught with danger

October 2, 2011 Kevin 2
…

Tagged as: Primary Care, Specialist

Post navigation

< Previous Post
I concentrated to distill all that I had learned about death
Next Post >
Sometimes cyber-medicine is fraught with danger

More by Philippa Kennealy, MD, MPH

  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Why the physician path today is far from linear

    Philippa Kennealy, MD, MPH
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    What Richard Branson can teach doctors

    Philippa Kennealy, MD, MPH
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    To sell your practice or not: The decision facing most physicians today

    Philippa Kennealy, MD, MPH

More in Physician

  • Lively communication in the service industry

    Deepak Gupta, MD
  • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

    Kim Downey, PT
  • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

    Randall S. Fong, MD
  • The shifting landscape of gastroenterology manpower and compensation

    Brian Hudes, MD
  • Surgical procedures for inpatients: Addressing socioeconomic urgencies

    Deepak Gupta, MD
  • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

    Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • Ketamine for mental health conditions: What every primary care physician needs to know

      Carlene MacMillan, MD & L. Alison McInnes, MD | Meds
    • Physician autonomy and patient interactions in corporate health care

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • 1 in 4 attempt suicide: the persecution of autistic physicians

      Patricia Celan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Physician autonomy and patient interactions in corporate health care

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • PSA screening: What you need to know [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Vague criteria can lead to misdiagnosis and prison

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • U.S. maternal mortality crisis: a deep dive

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Conditions
    • Lively communication in the service industry

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
    • Contemporary weight loss: Unveiling the quest for elusive elixir

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • 'Not Clear If the Juice Is Worth the Squeeze': What We Heard This Week
  • Avoiding Male Doctors Is Not Discrimination. It May Be Risk Aversion.
  • What Is the 'Carrot Tan' Trending on Social Media? A Dermatologist Weighs In
  • Did Gabapentin Improve Post-COVID Olfaction?
  • Fentanyl Death Trends; Food Additives and Heart Disease

Meeting Coverage

  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • AI Has an Image Problem in Healthcare, Expert Says
  • Want Better Health Outcomes? Check Out What Other Countries Do
  • ERS Roundup: Cell Transplant Boosts Lung Function in COPD Patients
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • Ketamine for mental health conditions: What every primary care physician needs to know

      Carlene MacMillan, MD & L. Alison McInnes, MD | Meds
    • Physician autonomy and patient interactions in corporate health care

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • 1 in 4 attempt suicide: the persecution of autistic physicians

      Patricia Celan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Physician autonomy and patient interactions in corporate health care

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • PSA screening: What you need to know [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Vague criteria can lead to misdiagnosis and prison

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • U.S. maternal mortality crisis: a deep dive

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Conditions
    • Lively communication in the service industry

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
    • Contemporary weight loss: Unveiling the quest for elusive elixir

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...