Welcome! I’m Dr. Jillian Bybee, a physician leader and coach looking to create more fulfillment for myself and others. Humans Leading is for busy, growth-oriented humans who are looking for ways to have more joy and less overwhelm in their lives. Subscribe here to get this newsletter straight in your inbox:
Earlier this week,
wrote something that jolted me awake:You have not missed the boat, you ARE the boat, ok?
I did not expect a sentiment like this in a post about an upcoming personal development book club. But it was exactly what I needed to read in that moment. After I posted it on Instagram, I learned that it was something that a lot of other people needed to read as well.
For myself, a high achiever in a fast-paced career with multiple competing priorities, it is easy to begin to feel like I’m “falling behind” on everything that I have on my to-do list, including my personal development and growth.
Interestingly, I’ve recently identified my tendency to judge myself for continuing to experience thought and behavior patterns that I thought I had addressed: perfectionism, overwork, self-criticism, imposter thoughts, etc.
As I have branched out of medicine and into coaching and content development (like this newsletter), I have had the opportunity to dig deeper into these patterns in order to loosen their hold and to grow. This has been challenging but satisfying work.
However, the prolific fiction writer (inner critic) in my own head likes to create stories that I should be farther along in my journey than I am.
“Shouldn’t you be ‘over’ this by now?” it says.
For me, the reframe of “I am the boat” has been incredibly helpful to ground me in the present moment and see it for what it is: an opportunity to grow in the direction I choose.
So, today’s reminder is to find ways to remember that life is made up of a series of present moments that give you the opportunity to grow in the direction that you choose for yourself. It is also about learning to enjoy the process of living rather than living for an arbitrary end goal that you may never reach.
You get to progress at your own pace. It’s ok to adjust what you’re doing based on your current capacity. In some seasons, you’ll have space for more. In others, you won’t have the space that you feel that you need in order to “get it all in.”
Start small:
What does ‘success’ or ‘growth’ look like for you today?
This hour?
This moment?
By beginning to shift your focus from the future to this present moment, you can learn that the only thing we truly have control of is how we are living in the present.
Life is not a race. There’s nothing to win at the end. And we have no idea when the end will arrive. Truly living comes from learning to enjoy the process.
Wishing you joy today and in your week ahead.
So glad that helped!