Learning to Walk Well

Following on from yesterday, further advice to my younger self as I look forward to my eldest graduating as a doctor on Friday.
 
Walk the talk, but what does that look like
There’s a verse in Micah, one of those wisdom verses that resonates with the wise whatever their faith, or indeed none. “Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly”
All of that seems good advice for someone embarking on a career in medicine. But walking humbly, well that can be harder to do than to say.
Yes, there will be times when others, and maybe yourself will attribute to you some sense of grandeur, beware…. There are few things you’ll come across in your career as ugly as a conceited doctor. They fail paitents, they demoralise teams, they usually end up being humiliated in an ugly way.
But don’t just be humble to avoid all that, humility seems an appropriate thing to wear for all kinds of reasons, you may get to have responsibility for big things, but that is responsibility rested in you, it is no laurel to wear, don’t listen to the voices inside or outside of you head that say otherwise, it’s conceit. The doctor that wears their privilege, knowledge and skills humbly brings their ability in a way that is larger and more generous, and your patient and your colleagues will all become more.
 

Walk humbly