Are you happy as a physio?

That is one of the most important questions you can ask yourself.

Work will take around 1/3 of your life, so it’s pretty important to do what you love, right?

Are you feeling fulfilled after a day of work or are you feeling tired?

Do you find your work is boring, because you always treat people in the same way and you feel like you are executing a routine?

Too busy

If you are feeling too tired and unfulfilled, it’s good to see why this is.

Too much patients in a day? Too much admin? Not nice collegues?

Whatever it is, it’s good to be aware of the thing that could be better and try to change it.

This is not easy, because life is complicated. Maybe you can’t work less, because you have kids, a mortgage, a car, etc. The bills need to be paid.
You could list all your expenses and income each month, and see where you can save. When you have less costs, you don’t need the income you are having right now, so maybe you can work a few hours per week less? A Friday afternoon off?

It’s all about decisions in life. Again, making these decisions is not easy, but if you downsize your car or have a less expensive phone plan or cheaper food, that can make a lot of difference and it all adds up. It could add up into a happier life.

Happier life, happier physio, happier patients, happier boss, etc. 

What do you want?

You can create your own destiny ( to a certain extent).

Feeling fulfilled

Are you always treating patients in the same way? Everybody gets a massage or dry needling or kinesio tape or manipulation? Don’t you find that boring?

Isn’t it always exciting after you have done a weekend course to try the newly learned techniques with your patients the next Monday?

Wouldn’t it be good to try to feel that excitement, plus anxiety of trying something new, every day?

That will keep you a little bit out of your comfort zone (but the comfort zone is a danger zone, it really isn’t that comfortable being stagnant).

Nobody likes to go out of their comfort zone, but exactly that’s why we have to do it. That’s where you learn and grow as a therapist and as a human being.

When you grow as a human being, you'll notice positive changes in your thinking and your behaviour. Your life will be more pleasant in this new way of living, instead being stuck in a rut.

Try it out, try a new explanation with your patients.

Try a different “special” test, which you normally don’t use.

Try a new exercise with your patients.

Try having a different conversation with your collegues or friends.

Go to new places.

Expand your horizons and go to new countries.

Talk to people you don’t know.

Learn about different cultures.

Read books about topics like: self improvement, psychology, sleep, nutrition, stress management, selling (which we can use to help our patients).

Step up

Raise your standards

Become better

It’s not going to be easy, it’s difficult… but it is definitely worth it.

Progress equals happiness

-Tony Robbins

Have fun! 

What do you think? Let me know!