When I was 6 I tried jumping my bike off a homemade ramp and hurt my hand…
When I was 15 I got hit in the face and my chin split open to the bone…
When I was 27 I was at the gym when my bicep ruptured…
When I was 31 I fell off a ladder and hurt both of my legs…
This isn’t about how clumsy I am (that post would be much longer)…
When I was 15 my sister received a cancer diagnosis…
When I was 24 my dad found out that he had cancer…
When I was 24 my mom found out that she had cancer…
It’s also not about the bad things that happen to people…
When I was 27 my wife had our baby girl, she's creative and beautiful…
When I was 31 my wife had our baby boy, he’s tough and happy all the time…
It’s also not about the incredible things that happen to people…
It’s about all those things and more.
This is about the outsized role that healthcare has played in my life.
For as long as I can remember healthcare has been part of my life. Beyond the big events it was there everyday as well. My dad worked in healthcare. So does my mom. And I always wanted to do the same.
What that could look like for me has changed several times. Physical therapist. Doctor. Administrator. Until finally: technology and product management.
What I wanted to do changed, but where I wanted to do it never did. When people would ask me “why healthcare?”, I never had a concrete answer (it was second nature). But recently I found my answer.
I finished Amp It Up by Frank Slootman the other day. His take on missions taught me why I feel the way I do about healthcare:
‘Being on a mission is a visceral experience, not merely an intellectual one. When your organization has a well-defined purpose, you feel it down to your bones. You feel energized when you start the workday, and you feel good about whatever progress you’ve made toward the mission when you shut down for the night. Being on a mission unlocks the X factor: an intangible that can drastically elevate performance as people set out to achieve greatness—together. It makes your working life not just more productive but also more fun’
Few things ring more true to me than this. I feel the mission of healthcare in my bones (literally at times, depending on what I’ve recently injured).
Why does this matter?
I’m fortunate to go to work each day at a company I love, doing work that matters. I wake up looking forward to work. I work on things that challenge me and make me better. I’m energized because the mission of my company, and of healthcare in general, is a visceral for me.
I contrast how I feel with who we build for, healthcare workers. They work long hours. Doing thankless jobs. Their mission is more important than mine. But they likely don’t have the opportunity to feel like I do each day. It feels great to know I am helping them each day.
And I think of the patients they care for. Scared. Facing the unknown. I’ve been that patient. My family members have been those patients. Knowing my work is contributing to making their lives better is rewarding.
How could you not want to do work like this? How else would you rather spend your time and energy?
I’d be crazy to not love doing this work!
I’m fortunate to do work with a mission that energizes me. I wake up everyday excited to work hard for that mission.
I hope everyone feels this way (even if that’s a naive wish). If your current organization does not have a mission you “feel in your bones”, help make it into a place that does. Or find a place that does have such a mission. Most importantly, make sure you have a personal mission that makes you feel that way everyday.