• image.alt
  • With Mayo Clinic oncologist

    Edward T. Creagan, M.D.

    read biography
Please read: Important 2013 cancer research update from Dr. Michael Camilleri

Free

E-newsletter

Subscribe to Housecall

Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.

Sign up now
  • Stress blog

  • March 19, 2010

    When the drive to succeed leads you astray

    By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.

9 comments posted

Throughout our lives, we're inundated with advice. Coaches tell us to keep our eyes on the ball and never give up. Teachers urge us to study harder and apply ourselves. Parents exhort us to live up to our full potential. The advice never stops.

Need more help?

If the stress in your life is more than you can cope with, get help right away.

  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
    1-800-273-TALK (8255)
  • Go to the nearest hospital or emergency room
  • Call your physician, health provider or clergy
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness
    www.nami.org
    1-800-950-NAMI (6264)

Several months ago, I was encouraged to put my hat in the ring for a highly visible position in our organization. I took the advice and went through the interview process, as did several others. In the end, the best candidate was awarded the position. Although I had a twinge of regret that it hadn't been me, life moved on in its usual rhythm.

Last week while I was on my way to the hospital to see some terminally ill patients, I bumped into the individual who received the appointment. He was frantic and had all of the equipment of the "road warrior" — the cell phone, the suitcase on wheels and the ever-present laptop. I wished him well and watched him sprint to a taxi waiting to take him to the airport for another meeting.

As I walked away, I was profoundly thankful that I wasn't in his shoes and that I'd taken a path that offers me peace and fulfillment.

I'm grateful to those who encouraged me to put myself forward. But I've learned that if I have an attitude of acceptance and, equally important, stay in the present, life unfolds exactly the way it's supposed to.

Are there any other lessons that I missed on my way to the hospital?

9 comments posted

blog index
MY01247 March 19, 2010

© 1998-2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

  • Print
  • Share on:

  • Email

Advertisement


Text Size: smaller largerlarger