This week, I have been reflecting on why doctor burnout levels peak mid-career (11-20 years post qualification) https://lnkd.in/evRgNjg3. While the reasons are complex, I am noticing a consistent theme in my coaching around what Tal Ben-Shahar calls the 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐲.

This is the false belief that achieving a specific goal will bring lasting happiness.

Psychologists also call this 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, the belief that a future emotional reward will compensate for the demands felt in the present.

So, we are motivated throughout the extraordinary demands of medical school and specialty training by the promise of 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. We define success as attainment of our CCT and believe that happiness will follow.

There are several 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬:

1. We fail to stay fully present throughout our training. We don’t notice and absorb positive emotions, 𝐚𝐰𝐞, 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞, 𝐣𝐨𝐲, 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞, 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, love, serenity. We ignore them in service to the idea that we will experience them all when we ‘arrive.’

2. 𝐖𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲. Hobbies, friendships, family, holidays, health, creativity are all de-prioritised in service to our dominant doctor identity; the one we believe will ultimately give us happiness.

3. We arrive at our CCT goal but don’t experience the long-term, sustainable happiness we anticipated. 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐬, 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐲. We 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭.

4. This profound disappointment often goes unspoken due to our ‘𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠’ conditioning. We suffer from pluralistic ignorance, the unspoken truth that others are also suffering in their working lives. And, instead, we believe:

“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦”.

Over the next few weeks, I will be posting my thoughts on how to avoid the Arrival Fallacy and find fulfilment both 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐂𝐂𝐓 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝.

But by way of introduction, a 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 ‘𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬’ 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝. It’s actually the precise opposite

In reality, happiness in the present moment leads to both success and hard work. We experience this when we are:

1. 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 by the experience of 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

2. deeply experiencing the satisfaction of 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲

3. 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬, 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞

This 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 from a focus on happiness in the future to finding happiness in the moment can support us to thrive and find joy in our working lives.