I’m a family doc living my dream life in my dream clinic in my dream town. Now I’m spreading my love. During the past 12 years, I’ve helped hundreds of medical students, doctors, and health professionals overcome their fears so they could live their dreams in medicine. Many were on the verge of dropping out; some were even suicidal when they reached out to me. Where you are now makes no difference. These 7 strategies are universal. You can do it too! I believe in you.
1. Know your dream.
What does your dream life look, feel, smell, taste, sound like? Map it out. In detail. Get hyper-focused. What’s your dream job, family, house, life? Be clear. If you have no idea what your dream is, it’s unlikely to come true. Go for exactly what you want.
2. Declare your dream.
Share your dream with believers, not naysayers. The more people who know your dream and are cheering you on the better! Avoid folks who focus on all the reasons your dream can never happen. Listen to people who tell you all the ways to bring your dream to life—now.
3. Hang with inspiring mentors.
Don’t follow “gurus” and “experts” who speak theoretically about what’s possible—one day, some day. The best mentors are people who are living your dream right now. They’ve already done what it is you want to do. If you want a great marriage, don’t seek advice from a twice-divorced therapist with no history of a successful relationship. Want to be a happy doctor in your ideal clinic? Seek advice from other happy docs seeing real patients in their ideal clinics. Get it? Now go find one.
4. Reverse engineer the steps.
Take the easiest, quickest, and cheapest route from where you are now to where you want to be. Base your plan of action on real-world advice from really smart people who have already done what you plan to do. Chunk it down into steps (daily, weekly, monthly) and be sure to celebrate all your micro-successes on your path to the prize!
5. Be fearless.
Action leads to success. Remove all obstructions and excuses. Avoid paralysis by analysis. Drop perfectionism. Get moving. Right now. Give up all the reasons why you can’t do what you know were born to do on this planet and live your beautiful and amazing life. Go!
6. Go with love.
The biggest human motivators are pain and pleasure. People are either running away from what they don’t want or running towards what they want. Believe me. It’s much better to go for what you really want in life than to constantly avoid what you don’t want. Doing what you love increases your passion, energy, and money. Try it. You’ll love it.
7. Ask for help.
Trying to do everything yourself when you don’t know what the heck you are doing will take you a long, long time. Ask for help from the smart people who have already done what you want to do so you can save money, time, pain, and suffering. Plus you’ll have another friend and cheerleader.
Bonus!
I’m looking for 17 people who are ready to live their dreams in 2017. If you’re a premed/medical student, physician or health professional with a dream, I’ll help you bring it to life for FREE. To grab an application, please contact me. (Hurry! Deadline is 1/15/17).
Pamela Wible, M.D., is founder of the Ideal Medical Care Movement and leads popular Live Your Dream Retreats for health professionals. Join us!
Would love to be considered for this opportunity. I am a non traditional medical student at an osteopathic institution on the east coast. I never wanted to be a physician until my mother got sick with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. I had to complete a postbac as I was a previous Economics and Archarology major. I was elated to get into medical school two years ago- thinking that at 28, I had the dedication, time management skills , and maturity to do well. However, the last two years in medical school have been grueling. The classes are hard yes, but what has been even harder for me is the hostility and condescending tone of our administration. Their mentality that we should “suck it up” no matter what we are going through is ridiculous. I currently work on my schools curriculum committee to try and provide feedback on courses, schedule etc., but our ideas often fall on deaf ears. As an M2, I only have 6 months left at the campus but want to work with others to try to make a positive change for those below me. I have seen too many energetic students become depressed and distraught over the abusive system. Professionally,I am interested in becoming a palliative care physician and using my training as an osteopathic physician to help others in pain.
The medial education model is antiquated and we must all speak up to bring our teaching methods into the 21st century. Human rights violations should be a never event in medical training. Students should be encouraged to live their dreams not graduate with depression, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts. Unacceptable. I will send you an application and I’ll call you now 🙂 You can do it!
I would love to be considered for this position- thank you
Please contact me here for an application: https://www.idealmedicalcare.org/contact.php
I will be graduating in May 2017 with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree, majoring in Biology. When I was just 4, my grandfather passed away due to lack of treatment. Because living in a third world country around that time, it was almost impossible to find a good specialist for his illness. That’s when I made up my mind that no matter what I am going to be a doc and help the people as much as I can. And here I came so far, with astonishing high school results and now almost done with college. But I have seen so many deserving students not being able to achieve their dreams in this medical field and I deeply intend not to be one of them. So please reach out to be if you think I am a deserving one and can make this world a better place even a bit.
YOU are deserving and would be a inspiration for so many. Please apply.
I just contacted you though a message, and there was a typo so it said, “Dr. Doble”. I am so sorry for that mistake.
As long as your email address is correct, you’ll hear from me 🙂
I’m an upcoming medical student but I would love to be considered.
Great Jazmin!!!! YES! Please apply.
I am in my second year of medical school. I am in an HBCU although I am Latina, mainly because while interviewing there everyone made me feel HAPPY.
A lot of my peers in other schools focused a lot about the popularity of a school or about statistics. Meanwhile, I always had my mom’s advice in my head: ” you want to graduate a happy doctor, with optimism still bright in your heart. Take care of yourself so you can take care of others”
The stress of school and the system are becoming more apparent now, but knowing that I am human and have rights and a voice really helps me get by.
I would really love to get an application!
Thank you for all your work and advice!
Great! I will send you an application. You can always reach me via my contact page.
I would love to be considered. Please tell me how I could apply?
Hahaha!! I just got off the phone with you and emailed you an application.
I am a new graduate I just graduated from University of Texas at El Paso and I am very passionate about family medince and would appreciate any help that I can get. I come from a big family of four girls and one boy, total of five including myself. I am interested in receiving any advice that could help me get closer and achieve my dreams.
Thank you,
Tamara White
I recommend you follow the steps above and you fill out an application for the Live Your Dream 2017 Contest! 😉
Alert: you are an amazing human. I would love to be considered. Thank you for the opportunity!!
I’m a first gen student and recently accepted into a DO school. I’m curious to learn More about what this is and exactly what you do for medical students. Is this for students looking for a mentor?
It’s a one-year mentorship program & so much more.
Happy holidays, doc. I am currently a medical school applicant that is very passionate and dedicated to the medical profession. I would love to learn more about this opportunity!
Contact me via my webform.
I would love to be considered for this amazing opportunity. I am a second year pre med student but would love to gain as much knowledge as I could. Thank you for doing such an amazing thing.
Just complete the application by 1/15/17 🙂 Contact me via my webform for application & other materials: https://www.idealmedicalcare.org/contact.php
I would cherish such opportunity!
Yay! I’ll send you an application 🙂
I am a recent medical school graduate and I am currently working on a business model for both medical students and physicians that I plan to launch in 2017. I would love to see how you can help me. I’m interested in exactly what it is you do. Thanks for your time and your commitment to my success.
I would love to be a part of this great opportunity. I always wanted to be a doctor after interacting and learning of the different specialties available. All though in my high school and early college there had been some turbulences (friends and family suddenly passing away) I was still able to create long lasting projects and see them through such as an education to prison project from my university campus. That and other projects completed during strenuous times told gave my the self confidence needed to continue the pre med path. What is needed now is just mentors to guide the positive energy.
Dear Dr.Wible.
I would love to be considered for this opportunity. I am currently a senior at the University of Central Florida. I am pursing dual degrees in Biomedical Sciences and Medical Anthropology with a minor in Non-Profit Management.
As an aspiring OB/GYN, I have hopes to subspecialize in both Maternal-Fetal medicine and Reproductive Endocrinology; all while empowering women through education, advocacy and spiritual growth. As an aspiring physician, I want to create and provide preventative healthcare and managed healthcare risks clinics and educational programs for women in West Africa (especially back in my home of Nigeria), Haiti, as well Central and South America. Most importantly, I want to be a part of creating profound stability for women and I want to being change and provisions to global health due to misdirected care and inequality.
As a child of immigrant parents, my mother is from Nigeria and my father came over to the U.S as a Haitian refugee, I was brought up to not only embrace and understand the importance of cultural integration but also to have great knowledge on factors such global health and economic disparities in dynamical settings. Many family members,very close family members have passed away due to the lack of sufficient and adequate access to care due to poor medical services and the constant neglect of curative seevices, high medical errors, inverse care and health promotion. I want to change this , I need to change this. A soldified passion for global medical missions and preventative healthcare.
When my parents divorced in 2006 it left my family financially burdened. To this day, my siblings and I experience financial challenges and struggle to battle an array of emotions and grave feelings of defeat. This was especially because my father who was distant. Though I have great family obligations and responsibilities above my age, I have not and will not let my aspirations slip away! The road to becoming a physician is not an easy one and comes with a lot of hard-work and sacrifices, but with the endless faith that I have, I know that great trials can beget even greater testimonies!
Over the years of conducting research and involving myself in global health affairs and organizations on campus— I understand that there is no other way to serve except through humility, selfless caring, nourishment and development to provide a profound impact and create better lives.
I would be so grateful for an opportunity, to have you have a mentor and help guide me through my journey.
Thank you for your consideration.
God bless.
Please contact me here for application. You have an amazing vision.
I LOVE the energy of the comments I saw posted here!Perusing them did give rise to a question. The people commenting seem to be chronologically young. Am I the only YOUTH-emanating senior interested in changing health care, for good, for the good of all concerned?
There does seem to be more young people with invincible dreams. I welcome anyone of any age to participate. Definitely skewed toward medical students over physicians so far. I hope more docs will come out of the woodwork to share their hopes & dreams with us.
I love what you are doing. It has been almost 2 years since my last clinical shift and I’ve finally stopped having nightmares about practicing medicine, feelings of failure for leaving academic medicine, etc. I had to get out after 30 years. Reading your work has helped me to understand what was happening all along. A few months before leaving academic medicine, I listened to the audio book “The Christmas Sweater” by Glen Beck. That is when it hit me, I am in an abusive relationship with academic medicine! I wrote all about my discovery in my journal. It still took me several months to get out for all the same reasons someone being abused does not get out of the relationship. I wanted to be sure it was not me and I did not want to leave my students and residents vulnerable. I realized in June 2014 that my academic institution would not work with me to reduce my clinical load to healthy levels so that I could focus upon this area of research. I resigned to save my life. You have helped to validate that choice. Thank you.
Now my dream is to come back stronger. To use my experience and skills in teaching and research to help change the medical education and practice system in America. I’m just not certain how best to do so.
My dream is to now help others avoid the pitfalls you have so precisely outlined..
Congratulations Dane!! Excellent choice. I support your decision 100%. Those who are complicit with self-abuse and a medical system built on rampant human rights violations only serve to perpetuate the abuse onto themselves and others. Liberate yourself and you will liberate others.
I’m a patient who read your first book and have been following you. I was able to pass on your name to a medical student who was training under my current MD.
My dream is to have a doctor who is independent of the system. I LOVE what you are doing by creating positive energy that grows exponentially. Thank you.
Where do you live? Maybe I know someone. I’ll email you too.
JOHN BECHTEL writes: “I tried unsuccessfully to post the following comment on your New Year’s post, which was most enjoyable. Made me smile. Just DO IT !!”
Hi Pamela,
As usual, loved your inspiring and very direct article. When dealing with difficult people it helps to know you are not alone and there are bright minds and determined spirits who find ways to overcome and thrive, and who lead the way. Like you are doing. Although I am not part of the medical profession, I recently completed a 27 month project researching and ghostwriting a book with Dr. Larry Schlachter, whose book Malpractice will go on sale on January 3, 2007. The book is about a tiny percentage of doctors who are dangerous to their patients, and who give the rest of their profession a black eye. Many of them are people who are doctors for the wrong reasons, or who have gotten lost along the way and forgotten what it originally meant to them to want to be a doctor. If you will forgive the metaphor, I now want to switch my focus from pathology to obstetrics, from unhappy endings to hopeful beginnings. I would like to write one or more magazine articles about your movement and perhaps tell some of the stories that make it so compelling and urgent. I know you are a great writer but sometimes there is value in third party validation. Additional exposure. Let me know if I can be helpful.
Omg! I LOVE that you would like to do this John. And I’ll post your comment for you 🙂
Dear Dr. Wible, I am a semi-retired nurse and have recently relocated “back home” after being widowed. Any chance there is a list of docs like you available in my area? I sure would appreciate it. I need a doc who really listens and looks. Most of the time when I visit current doc, I am telling him what the problem is, there is no time to explore a somewhat complex history and symptoms. Thank you so much. PS. I left hospital nsg. because I was burned out from spending more time with EMR than my patients.
Where do you live? I’ll try to help 🙂 You can contact me privately with the info via my contact page too.
Well done, Pamela.
My daughter (who is also a physician) and I are exploring starting a new venture in a small Ga town and would love to be mentored by you. We will be in touch.
Thank you for all you do.
Wonderful Katharine! I’d love to help 🙂
Hello Pamela,
We talked on the phone this past summer/fall about a film project I’m working on. You may remember 🙂 I have an osteopathic practice and stopped taking insurance this past fall. I find that I can offer so much more to my patients without the hassle and restrictions that health insurance puts on a practice! Only problem is… I’m going broke. My dream is to create retreats for medical students and doctors. I’ve always loved the self-empowerment niche of healing more so than the hands on (which is what I currently do). I’d like to shift my practice to more self empowerment training and create a retreat center or somehow teach at retreats around the country and even world! Thank you for your inspiration. Much love, Shawn