Be mindful of the “Second Mistake”: The Habit "Hack" of the Resilient Healthcare Worker

As-salamu alaykum,

I haven’t posted a newsletter in the last 2 weeks.

On one hand, I realize that the heavy lift of focusing on the Burnout-Proof Foundations Masterclass for Healthcare Professionals (ongoing with a super-engaged cohort - Alhamdulillah) likely accounts for some of that among other competing priorities;

On the other hand, it’s also a wake up call that my approach to this newsletter writing habit may require a second-look.

More broadly, however, this conversation is about the struggle we all experience with our habits and routines especially when we are establishing or re-establishing them.

The habit of writing weekly newsletters.

The habit of talking to loved ones on a regular cadence. 

The habit of praying Salah on time while on clinical duty (barring any emergencies!)

The habit of completing discharge summaries (and progress notes) in a timely fashion (…and avoiding the pajama time phenomenon.)

And the list goes on…

We all have several of these. The question is what happens when you and I slip up as I have done with the newsletter in the last 2 weeks.

This is where your resilience comes in. And it is important to frame it as such because recognizing that to bounce back and return to a habit such as this one that may seem inconsequential is a “soft” marker or indicator of our capacity to do the same with more tangible intentions that we aspire to execute on.

This is especially because our success here reinforces our identity to make the effort to rebound when life throws more consequential challenges our way.

The initial slip up is not the issue according to James Clear. That’s called the first mistake. The second mistake and subsequent slip ups suggest a pattern of not showing up and this is where heightened mindfulness comes in and a decisive point to try our best to get back on track before this pattern takes hold.

It’s also a reminder to pace ourselves with regards to cultivating new habits as the Prophet Muhammad PBUH reminded us in this beautiful hadith;

Narrated `Aisha: The Prophet (ﷺ) was asked, "What deeds are loved most by Allah?" He said, "The most regular constant deeds even though they may be few." He added, 'Don't take upon yourselves, except the deeds which are within your ability." [Sahih al-Bukhari 6465]

The aspiring resilient healthcare worker on their journey of growth and cultivating resilience in order to have an impactful integrated work-life therefore needs to keep 3 principles in mind;

1. To pace yourself in cultivating new habits (not to limit yourself!)

2. To know that slip ups will happen (and that’s just being human!)

3. To be mindful of the second mistake and commit to trying again when slip ups happen (that’s the beginning of resilience!) 

In sha Allah, in the next newsletter we will dive deeper into what getting back on track looks like and how to improve your odds of success on the next go around.

May Allah, the Most High, grant you and I the capacity (Taofiq) and the resilience to stay the course when it's best for us and continue to use us to serve the healthcare community and others with diligence and Ihsan (excellence). Amin 

Sincerely,

Sulyman

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