Q is for Quest(ions)

Q: If I’m on a hero’s journey, what elixir do I bring back to this ordinary world?

I served on various committees when I was a physician, including the Infection Control Committee and the Antibiotic Stewardship Committee. Being an Infectious Disease doctor made it logical to be recruited to these meetings.

Lumpers and Splitters

Data and spreadsheets were at the heart of the information presented. Data is not my strength. I am more of a Gestalt thinker, preferring to look at the big picture. Starting with the big picture and then adding the details is the model I used for making diagnoses. If I began with the whole tree, the information that came in could all be placed on the appropriate branch until I knew what the patient had.

Many of the other committee members began with the details to form the picture. My different way of looking at things brought a necessary balance. The team needed both approaches. I brought attention back to practical matters if the data mavens got too far into the weeds for my taste.

More Questions

Fortunately, my intuitive, heart-based approach was valued rather than sidelined. The balance allowed us to do good work. We all have some form of magic elixir to bring to a situation. Often, we don’t recognize this in ourselves or others.

It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t continue on our quest or ask questions. I was recently reintroduced to Don Miguel Ruiz’s book The Four Agreements. I recast the agreements as questions to myself. Am I being impeccable with my word? Do I take anything too personally? Am I assuming anything? (Checking my assumptions is hard for me.) Am I doing my best?

Each honest answer to these questions is a micro-transformation that can begin a redirection if my life is beginning to go off track.