Reflections on Working During the Festive Period

Hey guys!

I hope you're all having a fantastic week. This week's newsletter will be a quick one just to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

Despite my hope for some time off, I'll be working on Christmas and New Year's this year on the obstetrics and gynaecology wards. I'll be one of the two senior house officers manning the wards on Christmas Day and during the new year. If any of you are currently pregnant and end up in the obstetric ward, rest assured I'll be there, wearing a Santa hat and a big smile.

While I would have preferred to be at home celebrating with my family, I consider it a privilege to work as a doctor, being there for mothers in both their best and worst times.

I believe in changing what you can and accepting what you can't. So this year, I'll be walking around the wards with a Santa hat on, doing my best to make my patients' day a little more special during the festive period.

No matter where you are in the world, I hope you have a fantastic day. 🧑‍🎄🌲

See you all soon.

Kenji.

👍🏾 Things I’ve enjoyed this week

• Squid Games (Netflix show) - I managed to binge this show this week and I absolutely love it. It's a real-life recreation of Squid Games and has you on your toes throughout.

• Uniqlo Long Sleeve Polos (clothing) - I absolutely love shopping at Uniqlo because the quality of the products is so amazing. I recently bought this blue polo to wear on Christmas Day. I now have it in green and blue and really love how it looks and feels

• Alpaka Go Sling Mini backpack (tech) - My partner got me this for Christmas and I love it. I have the smaller version Which is the Go Sling Nano and really loved that, however, I needed a slightly bigger bag to use when traveling and this really is my favorite one.

• Rome (travel destination) - My first trip this year will be to Rome, Italy. It's a place I've always wanted to visit and I've always wanted to see the Colosseum. I'm super excited for it. There are many low-cost New Year deals at the moment for traveling. And you can get to many parts of Europe for less than £30.

📹 The latest video in case you missed it:

📚 Highlight of the week

3-2-1: On Having Enough, the Power of Books, and a Recipe for Success 

“Many people view their habits and routines as obstacles or, at the very least, obligations to get through. Making the morning coffee, driving your kids to the next activity, preparing the next meal—we often see our routines as chores to be completed. But these are not moments to be dismissed. They are life. Making coffee can be a peaceful ritual—perhaps even a fulfilling one—if done with care rather than rushed to completion. It’s about the amount of attention you devote to these simple moments, and whether you choose to appreciate them or bulldoze through them on the way to the next task. Find the beauty and joy in your daily rituals and you will find beauty and joy in your daily life. To love your habits is to love your days, and to love your days is to love your life.”

You're Not Burned Out, You're Doing Work You Don't Give a F*ck About 

The truth is when you have an obsession success is automated. You don’t need motivation. You need to feel like it. You don’t need permission. You don’t need higher education. You don’t need gurus. You don’t need to wait for the right time or be less busy. Nope. You can just go all in because you’re playing a forever game that you’ll happily do until the end of your life. Obsession is internal. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy unlike a career, purpose, passion, or interest – which all eventually lead to burnout.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

Where does intrinsic security come from? It doesn’t come from what other people think of us or how they treat us. It doesn’t come from the scripts they’ve handed us. It doesn’t come from our circumstances or our position. It comes from within. It comes from accurate paradigms and correct principles deep in our own mind and heart. It comes from inside-out congruence, from living a life of integrity in which our daily habits reflect our deepest values.

Resurfaced to me by Readwise

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🛠 My favourite tools 🔨

📚 Listen to my favourite book of all time (or any other) free on Audible

🥼 My daily hospital scrubs: HappyThreads

🎒 My everyday and travel bag from Menos (use KENJI10 for 10% off)

📝 My favourite iPad screen protector: Paperlike

📱 My everyday carry as a doctor