I had two very different experiences this week that got me thinking about something we all struggle with but rarely name: the invisible barriers we construct in our own lives.
Experience 1: The Resource Allocation Meeting
I sat through yet another meeting about resource allocation. We desperately need nurses and coordinators to support our clinical mission, but we’re stuck in an endless loop of:
- Who should fund this?
- Is it the Department? The hospital? Outpatient administration? Inpatient administration?
Meanwhile, patients wait, staff burns out, and silos are treated like immutable laws of physics when in reality, they’re human-created structures that could be changed.
Experience 2: The Team Tailgate
Later in the week, I hosted our team at my home for a tailgate. We’ve welcomed several new members, and I believe deeply that knowing the people you work with, their families, their passions outside of medicine, is essential to building a workplace where people thrive and stay.
And yet, I know many of you have been told (or tell yourselves) that you “shouldn’t mix business with pleasure.”
The Common Thread
Here’s what struck me: in both situations, we’re operating under rules and barriers we’ve either created ourselves or accepted without question.
We treat them as unchangeable facts, when they’re really just choices. And these invisible walls make our work harder and our lives smaller.
Why This Matters at The Developing Doctor
So much of creating a life you love in medicine comes down to:
- Recognizing which barriers are real.
- Identifying which ones exist only in your mind.
- Finding the courage to question both.
When we gain the clarity to see these invisible walls and the courage to challenge them, we open up possibilities we didn’t even know existed.
"Where you think you can or you can't, you're right."
- Henry Ford
Coach's Corner: The Barrier Audit
Take 10 minutes with a journal or notepad and work through these questions:
- Identify your invisible barriers: Write down 3-5 "rules" you follow in your work or personal life that start with "I can't..." or "I shouldn't..." or "That's not how things are done."
- Question their origin: For each barrier, ask yourself: Where did this rule come from? Is it a policy, a cultural norm, something someone once told me, or something I decided for myself?
- Test their validity: What would happen if this barrier didn't exist? What becomes possible? What are you protecting yourself from by maintaining it?
- Choose one small experiment: Pick the barrier that feels most limiting right now. What's one small step you could take this week to test whether it's as solid as you think it is?
Remember, this isn't about being reckless or ignoring genuine constraints. It's about distinguishing between the walls that protect us and the walls that imprison us.
Your Next Step Forward
If this week's reflection revealed some barriers you're ready to examine more deeply, you don't have to navigate that journey alone.
Whether you're feeling stuck in administrative quicksand, wondering if there's more to your career than what you're currently experiencing, or ready to explore what lies beyond the invisible walls you've built, I'm here to help you think it through.
Ready to dive deeper?
My self-paced course walks you through the complete framework for identifying and moving past the barriers that keep physicians from creating lives they love.
Want to talk it through first? Sometimes the most powerful breakthroughs happen in conversation.
Schedule A Free Coaching Consult
The walls that feel most permanent are often the ones most ready to come down. The question is: are you ready to pick up the sledgehammer?
Until next week,
Ben
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