What’s the secret to success? Are some of our colleagues just naturally superhuman, or is it just a matter of luck? In this video series, Dr. Hadzic takes a look at his own career and argues that you don’t have to be super-gifted to be successful, but there are 10 secrets to success that he has used to brand his name, and it all begins with focus and consistency. Watch the latest YouTube video from NYSORA to find out HERE!
That inspires them, and they want to know the secret to getting started in building a successful career.
However, when they ask “How do I become successful?”, I respond with “What is it that attracts you?” “What is your passion?” “What kicks you out of the bed every morning and drives you throughout the day?”
Usually, they are quite taken aback and think for a moment, then begin, “Well, I like a little regional anesthesia, a little bit of cardiac anesthesia. Oh, and I quite like obstetrics anesthesia. And I really love airway management.” They are all over the place, undecided, with no clear focus or direction. Their focus is scattered: they don’t know what they want! And, until they realize what really inspires them, they are not able to take aim and focus their efforts in that direction.
When they look at the overall picture of my own success, they don’t immediately see where I started – my focus was unwavering – regional anesthesia.
This is similar to branding in a business. Everyone knows Coca-Cola, Mercedes, Apple, and JBL. These companies did things right and did them for a LONG time until their brands became synonymous with popular drinks, great cars, stylish computers, and great-sounding loudspeakers. And the same applies to personal branding. It takes time to build your reputation and become known for what you do well.
And that time doesn’t begin until you take the time to work out what you want to do and apply your focus to heading in that direction. This is something that I see a lot, young people are undecided about where to start, so they put off getting started at all. Here’s a tip to get started:
Set aside some time with a pen and a notepad – it doesn’t need to be a long time, but enough time to get clear and define what drives you. Decide where you want to go and choose where you will start. Because, without a clear direction or focus, even the most aspiring young academics continue to be stuck in that whirlpool.
This does not mean that you have to stick with just one focus for the rest of your life. As you gain confidence and experience, you can take on other projects. But only after you realize success in one main project.
In my case, when I was starting out, I chose to work and improve upon techniques of nerve blocks because back in the 90s, there was no ultrasound and the techniques of regional anesthesia were quite subjective. After about a decade of work on this task, I began to add additional projects, such as developing an e-learning system for regional anesthesia, so that the techniques that now have been well established can be learned by virtually everyone with access to a computer or a smartphone.
The Good News!
The good news I tell all my students is that they are already successful. They were able to focus on completing medical school, which is one of the most difficult and longest educational journeys, often conducted in solitude with countless hours of studying and dedication. However, if you want to climb higher, the thinner the air becomes, and the more you have to focus on each step you take. To get to the summit, you still need to focus on one careful step at a time, every day, always heading in one direction toward your goal; and that climb doesn’t allow you the luxury of killing time on social media while you are slouched on the coach!
Success and personal branding in medicine are no different. If you want to succeed in anything, you need to do it well and do it well for a LONG time. And eventually, your name sticks, and your name becomes associated with excellence and innovation in a certain field of medicine. Like my name became associated with regional anesthesia.
And one does not need to be super-gifted or super-human to become successful – we are all made from the same material – but our actions, our choices, dedication, and FOCUS are what will determine our outcome in the goals we want to accomplish.
What many aspiring academics do is they “meander” – they start with something, then they turn their attention to something else, then they drift back to the idea they first thought of. So, they are back where they started, and they are not moving forward. But a river never flows backward.
Today it’s more important than ever to super focus as new knowledge emerging is typically not substantial but only slightly incremental. That means you have to chip away at a particular problem, like a chisel at a stone, for a long time. And, when you do, success always follows; it’s inevitable.
If you are content to be a Jack of all Trades, you may never become the master of ONE!
The path to success begins when you focus on something very specific, and you work at it consistently, for a long time. Choose something you like to do, get started, and focus on it consistently until success follows!
