The Long Game

I wrote about the Long Game earlier this summer, and again it is so present in my mind these past few days. With the reality of our nation’s healthcare industry’s dire financial situation, hard choices have had to be made. And with it, the cutting of thousands of jobs, including some of our biggest champions of wellness.

It’s knocked the winds out of my usually optimistic and hopeful sails this week. The sudden loss has been a jolt of reality, and a reminder of the tenuous industry we are all a part of.

I have to take the long view, because if I dwell on the “what ifs,” I don’t know how any of us can possibly continue. There’s no way to know if our wellness work will continue to be funded and supported, whether I’ll be able to continue the work I’m so passionate about, or whether our program will even exist a year from now. The “what ifs” can drive us mad.

And yet, I keep coming back to the Why behind all this passion and work, and the purpose behind why we do this – to make things better for our fellow physicians. To make the culture of medicine better, more sustainable, kinder, and more compassionate for our caregivers. To play the long game, knowing that there will setbacks and obstacles each step of the way -- and to commit to this life of service anyways.

I commit to playing the Long Game. To taking this one step at a time. To giving ourselves the grace and space to take the long view, to grieve our losses, and to know that each step we take touches and impacts the lives of others. And at the end of all of this, isn’t this all that really matters?