--- title: "Stop Physician Burnout: TheHappiest Doctors Build this Venn Diagram" description: The happiest doctors I know understand there is a Venn Diagram for career satisfaction. image: https://www.thehappymd.com/hubfs/physician-wellness-venn-diagram-ideal-medical-practice.jpg --- [![Stop-physician-burnout-dike-drummond-physician-leadership-you-can-banner-11-5-2018_opt995W](https://www.thehappymd.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Stop-physician-burnout-dike-drummond-physician-leadership-you-can-banner-11-5-2018_opt995W-1.jpg?width=995&height=146&name=Stop-physician-burnout-dike-drummond-physician-leadership-you-can-banner-11-5-2018_opt995W-1.jpg "Stop-physician-burnout-dike-drummond-physician-leadership-you-can-banner-11-5-2018_opt995W")](https://www.thehappymd.com) ## **The Creative Destruction of Physician Burnout ** [![prevent doctor burnout matrix](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/263814/da1e787d-095f-4485-9d4d-9a9bc4195d86.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/263814/da1e787d-095f-4485-9d4d-9a9bc4195d86) # [Stop Physician Burnout: TheHappiest Doctors Build this Venn Diagram](https://www.thehappymd.com/blog/bid/290254/happiest-doctors-build-this-venn-diagram) Posted by [Dike Drummond MD](https://www.thehappymd.com/blog/author/dike-drummond-md) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) **![happy-physicians-prevent-physician-burnout](https://www.thehappymd.com/hs-fs/file-217387317-png/images/vennofhappiness_opt-150w.png?width=199&name=vennofhappiness_opt-150w.png)In this post I will show you a shortcut to more happiness in your busy life as a physician** … by teaching you how to overcome your doctor programming and build your own personal Venn Diagram of Physician Happiness. ## **The happiest doctors I know understand there is a Venn Diagram for career satisfaction.** By conscious planning or sheer luck, the happiest doctors have maximized the overlap of the two circles of the Venn. --- Book a [Discovery Call](https://www.thehappymd.com/schedule-free-discovery-coaching-session) With One of Our Physician Coaches No Cost, No Obligation, Completely Confidential A Strategic Plan for a Way Forward [![physician coach for physician burnout](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/263814/c16e6cba-b41d-43ab-a501-261756fef79e.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/263814/c16e6cba-b41d-43ab-a501-261756fef79e) --- ** Right now you probably only see one of the circles.** Let me show you the second circle that will serve as a springboard to more happiness in your career. **Most physicians do not know this Venn Diagram even exists because of the programming of our medical education. ** This hole in our collective awareness is one of the big reasons for physician burnout rates of 33-80% in recent surveys. We are trained to see problems and react to them. We diagnose and treat … and have spent decades perfecting this thought process. It  is the basis of what we do as a physician … however it is not a solid foundation to build your life on. It is no way to become one of the happiest doctors. ## **Our reactive problem solving mode means we only see one circle … it looks like this. ** ![happiest doctors current job physician happiness](https://www.thehappymd.com/hs-fs/file-49905392-png/images/happiest-doctors-current-job-physician-happiness.png?width=300&height=271&name=happiest-doctors-current-job-physician-happiness.png) Knowing all the things you don’t like about your current position is important … and the happiest doctors don’t stop there. You can solve every one of these issues and still not build your ideal job. Here is the main point I want you to see. **Our reactive, problem solving mode creates a huge blind spot that blocks most doctors from more career/job satisfaction.** Our focus on finding and fixing problems walks right into **Einstein’s famous quote,** ***“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”*** Fixing a problem won’t necessarily get you what you really want. To get what you really want and become one of the happiest doctors you will need to [rise to a new level of consciousness](https://www.thehappymd.com/physician-burnout-coach-team)  and create the second circle of the Venn. Circle #2 looks like this … ![happiest doctors ideal job description](https://www.thehappymd.com/hs-fs/file-49905575-png/images/happiest-doctors-ideal-job-description.png?width=300&height=311&name=happiest-doctors-ideal-job-description.png) ** I know this seems obvious now that I point it out.** And I have worked with hundreds of overstressed physicians now and not one of them has ever had a written Ideal Job Description, until I gave that to them as [a coaching assignment.](https://www.thehappymd.com/services/physician-coaching-services/) **“*You can’t get what you want … until you know what you want.*” ~ Joe Jackson** **Notice that this is a 180 degree shift in your focus** — from solving a problem with our doctor skills, experience and programming — to clarifying what you REALLY WANT. ----- [![CLICK HERE to Download the Disruptive Physician's Toolkit [ 10 Specific Ways to Avoid the "Disruptive" Label ]](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/263814/69d11978-7715-43fc-b342-9991613931c1.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/263814/69d11978-7715-43fc-b342-9991613931c1) ----- ## **Writing down your Ideal Job Description is the first step to making it real** You may have to overcome a bunch of inner “gremlin chatter” to give yourself permission to make this list. That is normal. We are programmed as doctors to put our needs/desires/wants/preferences dead last. You can change that right now. **I encourage you to grab a pen and paper right now and begin your first pass at your Ideal Job Description … and be as specific as possible.** - How many hours a week - How many patients a day - What kinds of diagnoses and problems - Do you round in the hospital - What are your colleagues and the culture of your group like - Where do you live - How much money do you make **Write it ALL down and keep the document handy so you can add to it in the days and weeks ahead. ** ## **Then make your own Venn of Happiness** **Once you know what you REALLY WANT you can create your own Venn Diagram of Physician Happiness and take the next step … work to maximize the overlap in the two circles.** That is exactly what the happiest doctors have done. ![happiest doctors venn diagram physician happiness](https://www.thehappymd.com/hs-fs/file-49905839-png/images/happiest-doctors-venn-diagram-physician-happiness.png?width=300&height=241&name=happiest-doctors-venn-diagram-physician-happiness.png) ** If you are getting ready to interview for a new position:** This is the task of the interview – for you to ask the questions you need to understand how much overlap there is between this position and your ideal job description. **If you are in a position currently:** Once you understand your Ideal Job Description and can clearly see the amount of overlap between it and your current job/career … you can begin to take simple steps to increase the overlap week by week. Notice where your current job is out of alignment with your ideal description - Make a list - Pick one area you would like to address - Brainstorm steps you can take to increase the alignment/overlap - Get started BTW, the smaller your initial steps, the better … until you get some momentum going. ## **It all starts with giving yourself permission to ask this question:** ### ***“In an ideal world, what would my job/career look and feel like?”*** ==================== ## **ACTION STEPS:** - Ask the question above, "In an ideal world, what would my practice/job/career look and feel like?" - Make your Ideal Practice/Job/Career Description – write it down - Notice your Venn Diagram and ask yourself this question, "what is the amount of overlap between my current job and my Ideal Job?" - Give it a number ... how many PERCENT is the overlap right now? BTW, 10 - 30 % is not good. If you are not burned out now, you soon will be. And 60+% is quite good. You can still use your Ideal Job Description to make it even better. - Pick actions to increase the overlap in your own Venn Diagram of Physician Happiness - Get in action and slide the circles together ----- [![CLICK HERE to Download the Disruptive Physician's Toolkit [ 10 Specific Ways to Avoid the "Disruptive" Label ]](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/263814/69d11978-7715-43fc-b342-9991613931c1.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/263814/69d11978-7715-43fc-b342-9991613931c1) ----- **PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT and let us know what your level of overlap is now and what you intend to do about it. ** Tags: [stop physician burnout](https://www.thehappymd.com/blog/topic/stop-physician-burnout) - [Home ](https://www.thehappymd.com) - [Blog ](https://www.thehappymd.com/blog) - [About](https://www.thehappymd.com/about-the-happy-md)   - [ Contact ](https://www.thehappymd.com/contact) - |  - [Republish Articles](https://www.thehappymd.com/the-happy-md-content-network-signup-r)   || [Privacy Policy](https://www.thehappymd.com/privacy-policy) | [Terms of Use](https://www.thehappymd.com/terms-of-use) | [Anti-Spam Policy](https://www.thehappymd.com/anti-spam-policy) ||   **© TheHappyMD.com all rights reserved** ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Dike Drummond MD", "url" : "https://www.thehappymd.com/blog/author/dike-drummond-md" }, "dateModified" : "2022-09-25T20:43:00.756Z", "datePublished" : "2021-07-24T19:43:00.000Z", "headline" : "Stop Physician Burnout: TheHappiest Doctors Build this Venn Diagram", "image" : [ "https://www.thehappymd.com/hubfs/physician-wellness-venn-diagram-ideal-medical-practice.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.thehappymd.com/blog/bid/290254/happiest-doctors-build-this-venn-diagram", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.thehappymd.com/hubfs/Stop-physician-burnout-dike-drummond-physician-leadership-you-can-banner-11-5-2018_opt995W.jpg" }, "name" : "The Happy MD" } } ```