Weekly Updates 6.26.23

All I have been able to think about lately is do I quit my job? The signs are everywhere. I just read a book that inadvertently had the protagonist quit his traditional path to medical school (because his parents wanted him to go) and trade it in to write a book and be a successful speaker. Stories and quotes are constantly popping up on my social media feeds that talk about people dropping it all to follow their dreams, and small signs have been showing up in daily conversations.

If I quit, I will likely never go back to the traditional pharmacy world. Do I need to stay a little bit longer? The last year and a half burnt me out big-time and I realized that all the things that I thought “should” be happening and that our organization “should be” doing are not going to happen. I’ve accepted the situation for what it is and am not in that stage of focusing on things I can’t control (a big contributor to burnout), but I often ask myself is this really where I want to spend my career? Sometimes when you are good at something, it’s harder to step away. Oh yes, and let’s not forget the golden handcuffs that keep us in our comfort zone.

I’ve learned two things in this whole process:

I am responsible for my emotional health. This last year put me in a lot of situations at work with people positioning for ownership. Of course, I thought we should have it based off of best practice, but that’s not the current case. And if my organization wants people to have some responsibility without the ownership, then so be it.
Things are not personal. The sooner you can figure that out in your career journey, the better.

I’ve also learned a lot about our career path - when do you stay and when do you step away?

This answer is going to be different for everyone. You have to ask yourself fwhat are your goalsI, what do you want to get out of this, etc… really think it comes down to following your heart which everyone does not have the luxury of doing.
I’ve always thought when you had the momentum that you needed, it was time to go. For example, I want to have a career as a writer, so when I get a book deal or make some money from that and I need to devote more of my time to that endeavor, that is a sign. In reality, it’s not always clear when the time is right. You need to really think through your individual circumstance, your goals and your budget to make that decision.

Quote that I’m holding on to this week: “ What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as who you become by achieving your goals”.

What I’m Reading:

I just finished two books on a recent trip - The Third Door by Alex Banayan - I was surprised at how much I liked this book. The underdog stays very true to his vision and comes up on top. The book is written for a newer generation, with good career principles woven in and inspiring no matter what stage you are in your career.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Oh how I loved this book. It was the first book I’ve read by Taylor Jenkins Reid and the writing was fantastic. This is a great guilty pleasure book with some incredible insights.. I’ll definitely be picking up more books written by this author.

What I’m listening to:

I’m kind of in a podcast rut so if you have some good ones, send them my way! As far as music, my son and I play a game every night where we play a song from the classic rock genre and he guesses (this guy is good!) and we play a song from my era (90s rock!) and I guess. That boy has beaten me almost every night but it’s a fun way to reintroduce myself to some of the music I used to love.

What I’m buying:

Just recently took the plunge on this Augustinus Bader Rich Cream. I love the ingredients, and their patented TFC8 truly gives good results, but given the choice over again, I would have purchased The Cream which is much lighter. This Rich Cream is making me break out.

Sun hat: love this straw hat by Minnow Swim

Lots and lots of sunscreen: I’ve been through so much already and just restocked on my favorite EltaMD

Weekly Updates 6.26.23

What I’m Reading:

What I’m listening to:

What I’m buying:

Other reading: