Category: Goals

The Most Troublesome Interview Question

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“Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life.” – Robin Sharma

Residency interviews are upon us. It is a somewhat hectic time of year which requires everyone in the department to take on extra duties in order to support those who will be interviewing the candidates. I am grateful to work within a program that values training and preparing the future generation of pharmacists. I always look forward to the excitement surrounding this time of year! I guess you could join others and call me a nerd. As I sat down to compile the list of questions that will be asked of candidates this year, I recalled my least favorite one. It goes something like this… “Where do you see yourself in ten years?”

Each time I was asked the question in my own interviews, I desperately wanted to say “Oh, I don’t know, let me get out my crystal ball for a consult.” Instead, I answered for my audience. It was a well-rehearsed speech about my career goals. I answered the question in the way I wanted to be perceived, i.e., career oriented, little focus on social life, non-time-consuming hobbies, work experience with X organization, blah, blah, blah. At the time, I gave very little thought to what a balanced life would mean.  This question did not tell the interviewer anything about me, anyway. After I answered, the interviewer was no closer to making a decision regarding my qualifications than before the question was asked.

Watching the unknown unfold, creating new short-term goals, and maintaining some measure of focus on the things that mattered most, was the best part of my college and residency tenure. The things I love most about my life now were definitely NOT in my ten-year plan. And so, nearly ten years from when I first answered the question that I still loathe, I am someone far different than who I thought I would be. Today, I hold a position within the profession of pharmacy I never imagined or knew was a possibility. When asked the question, I did not say anything about how much knowledge that I hoped to gain in my field, which seems odd to me now.

Thinking everything is figured out is a mistake. That sort of mindset will almost certainly haunt the “know it all” as the world crumples around them. The preferred question to ask is lengthy and probably too personal in an interview situation. “Where do you see yourself in 50 years?” In order to answer that question, one must likely ask themselves this follow-up question. “In 50 years, what will I wish I had done with my life?”

If one lives and dies by their ten-year plan, it might mean missing out on the fifty-year goals. When looked at over many years, exceeding in well thought-out ten-year goals sometimes means sacrificing the long-term goals. In other words, we need to look at the bigger picture. Ten-year goals are self-centered. Fifty-year goals, then, are the ones that may take a lifetime to build, the opportunities that may take years of courage to complete, and the things people often regret not doing. They also include how you affected those you come in contact with. I will be honest…it is so difficult to live in a manner that focuses on the fifty-year plan. Believe me, mine is a work in progress.

The fifty-year plan requires vulnerability in order to create a legacy. So, go ahead and ask me “where do you want to be in 50 years?” I can already tell you! In my big picture, I am old and telling stories of the places I have traveled, the risks I have taken that paid off, and those that did not. I am confident I will be imparting life lessons learned through experience and will have created a legacy that remains on the Earth long after I depart from it. I hope those around me will remember how much I loved them, and how I choose meaningful relationships instead of a rote ten-year plan.

In short, I will not be asking the question “where do you see yourself in ten years” this interview season. Moreover, this week I encourage you to come up with a plan for those missing 40 years. I will be sure to let you know how my fifty-year plan turns out…. if blogging is even a thing in 2070!

©2020 Inspired Pharmacist

Deliberate Deliberately

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Our intention creates our reality. – Wayne Dyer

There is something so very exciting about January.  A blank slate, a fresh year full of promise, and a chance to let go of what no longer works in our lives and embark on whatever it is that helps us to have a banner year.  Typically, I use this time of year to set resolutions for myself.  Resolutions I sometimes fail at by mid-February.  I realized only recently, when I was texting my cousin about a resolution I had made, that the meaning of the word does not put me in the correct frame of mind to accomplish anything…resolution smesolution! When I looked back at my text to her, I thought, “Why did I put the word resolution in quotations?” I put quotation marks around it like it was a made up word without meaning.

Last week, you may have noticed, there was no post from me.  Part of the benefit of working at a not-for-profit organization is the chance to give back to the community in many different ways. The slight downside is it often means completing work for the organization in personal time. Last week, I was busy finalizing a letter to accompany a grant written in an attempt to secure additional funding for my organization.  The whole process was very detailed.  There were many items required, forms to be signed, explanations to be detailed and painstakingly placed in the grant document.  It was a tedious process! As I crossed my fingers and sent the grant on its way to the reviewers, I suddenly realized what my problem was with New Year’s resolutions.

My problem is with the word itself!  Resolutions, while made with wonderful intentions, leave me feeling frustrated when I do not achieve what I set out to do 100% of the time.  Instead of lifting me up and improving my situation, the failure drags me down.  The reason it seemed to hit me so abruptly this year, was because I realized I would have no time to write this blog…one of my resolutions for this year.  There it was early in January, and my resolution was already botched. I felt guilty, but why?  I was excited about the grant.  I WANTED to write it.  I enjoyed the challenge. And, I desperately hoped my organization would receive the funding to support something I am passionate about.  Admittedly, the guilt bothered me.  It forced me, however, to explore alternatives to resolutions…and I found one!

Here is my plan! It involves erasing all of my resolutions and instead approaching this time of year with a different mindset.  This does not mean I do not have goals, rather, it just means I will go about reaching them in a different manner. Instead, this year, I have set an intention to do two things. To be deliberate (adj.) and to deliberate (verb.). My plan then, is to be conscious, mindful and intentional with decisions.  I hope to concentrate on those things which are most essential.   Mainly, to deliberate my options and then make a decision.  My mantra this year is: TO DELIBERATELY DELIBERATE.

In my family, this looks like making the decision to be present and not distracted.  It means taking time to plan activities that are meaningful and not feeling obligated to attend every event for which an invitation is received.  In my work, it means digging in and reminding myself why I enjoy my work while making it relevant and memorable.  In my personal life, it means carving out time to escape a little and write.  In action, it means questioning why I do just about everything.  Should I feel guilty about this?  Can I fit (x) in if I cut (y) out?  Why do I do it this way and not that way?  In essence, figuring out what is essential.  With deliberate as my intention for 2020, I hope that I can get rid of all the things that do not matter and replace them with the people and things that matter the most.  In 2020 I will deliberate on doing less, and deliberately do better! I hope you do, too. Have a wonderful 2020!

©2020 Inspired Pharmacist