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January, along with celebrating the new year and fitness resolutions, means paying your dues as a medical professional.
And so I took one Saturday morning to renew all of my medical society memberships and maintenance of certification (MOC) in my specialties.
All-in I spent roughly $3,000 – on 2 anesthesiology societies, 2 sub-specialty societies, and annual enrollment in MOC for 3 board certifications.
My first reaction was, “Man, that wasn’t cheap!”
In years past, I would have had the great majority of that paid for by my previous employer (as part of my non-salary compensation – which is why it can be difficult to determine your hourly rate).
But, in the next moment, a grin came across my face as I felt a certain satisfaction: what a small price to pay for a large gain in freedom.
When you compare one job to the next, or one way of working (employed) to another (independent contractor), you might forget many things that would weigh the scales in favor of one choice over the other.
Paying for my own society memberships and MOC each year were not things that I had priced into my calculus when I decided to make the jump and leave full-time employment.
But the satisfaction that I felt that morning at my laptop – sitting at my kitchen table, while the winter sun streamed across the room, listening to music from my stereo, while my wife mixed her homemade pancakes – was priceless.
It was the very dream I had previously hoped for – to have time. To have weekends off. To no longer need to simultaneously cherish and cram everything from a week into 1 or 2 days.
I just wanted to enjoy a Saturday morning at home.
It’s not that I couldn’t before when I would consistently work 55-80 hour weeks.
It’s that now I can let them sneak up on me. I don’t have to try so hard to “make the most of my time.”
Peace of mind
Let this week’s newsletter serve as a reminder to you that there will be unexpected trade-offs, both beneficial and costly, with any future choice.
No matter how much you get paid or how fancy your title, you might still find yourself grasping for something you can’t have.
I used to think it was just time, but really it was the feeling of having time – the feeling of not being pressured.
It’s hard to put a price on your autonomy, your sovereignty, or your peace of mind.
So don’t.
Whenever you’re ready, here are 2 ways I can help:
1) Let’s talk through what choosing your own path through medicine looks like. Over the phone, confidential, free:
https://calendly.com/tonyvullo/20min
2) Free Guides and Resources to Help You Reclaim Your Time and Autonomy:
