Finding Purpose

“The heart of human excellence often begins to beat when you discover a pursuit that absorbs you, frees you, challenges you, or gives you a sense of meaning, joy, or passion.”

Terry Orlick

One the highlights of my psychiatry clerkship thus far has been getting the opportunity to talk to patients and hear their stories. We start each morning checking in on our patients, asking how about they are doing and whether they have any concerns. After coming back together and developing a plan for the day, we meet as a team with individual patients to discuss their treatment plan and goals for discharge. Often, some counseling is also done at that time. During one particular conversation this week, we talked a great deal about the importance of finding purpose in life. Our patients come from many different backgrounds and have their own unique goals, obstacles, strengths and struggles. What they share in common with each of us is a deep desire to contribute something of value to the world.

One facet of my alma mater’s mission is to help students find meaningful vocation. I’m still learning what that means for me years after I graduated. From a young age, I admired the physicians who took care of me. I was captivated as they explained my treatment plan, what they wanted to monitor me for, and answered any questions my mom or I had. They made sure I was educated about my diagnosis of Turner Syndrome, how it looks for me in particular and gave me the tools to take ownership of my healthcare as I entered adulthood. As I began to explore careers, I kept returning to my desire to serve others and pay it forward by becoming the kind of compassionate physician that cared for me for so many years. That unquenchable thirst for helping others became my purpose. Now that I am in the hospital and have an opportunity to serve patients as part of the team, I couldn’t be happier or more fulfilled. I’m finally able to contribute something meaningful and that is such a great feeling.

My wish is for everyone to find a vocation that gives them a sense of accomplishment and where they feel they can contribute something meaningful to society. There are so many people who go through life unhappy with their job or situation, feeling like they have no direction and haven’t made a difference in the world. It can be distressing to feel you have no purpose or that your purpose is in jeopardy. Those feelings might manifest themselves in different ways with different people. Some may turn to prayer or reflection, others to maladaptive coping mechanisms and others could choose to ignore those feelings and bottle them up. At the end of the day, we never know what others are going through, and a kind word of encouragement can make all of the difference. When faced with the decision to change paths and try a career in psychology or continue to apply medical school while pursuing a medical masters degree, I felt trapped and unable to move forward. I wouldn’t wish that feeling on anyone. My mentor telling me I’d come too far and that she wouldn’t let me give up will stay with me forever. May we never be so focused on what’s ahead forget to look behind and pull one another up. Let us help others to find their strengths and use those to do something good. Maybe then we might just leave the world a better place than we found it.