“As long as you live, keep learning how to live.”—Seneca, Roman philosopher. This is one of my favorite quotes. There are so many things to learn, both in terms of the science of what we do as optometrists, but also the art — the patient communication and active listening. And as I keep learning, I’ve realized that there are so many unknowns — you truly don’t know what you don’t know.
I make learning a part of my routine and learn at least one new thing daily to deepen the well of understanding. And I think it’s important to go beyond optometry.
By broadening my scope of learning to other specialties or areas, it’s actually helped me to better understand my own specialty. Every day, I try to spend 20 minutes reading about a self-improvement topic. Right now, I’m reading Steven Kotler’s The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer. James Clear’s Atomic Habits has also been really helpful — I’m fascinated by the idea of incremental improvements and how they can have big effects.
A continuing focus on learning helps me become better in the clinic, better at home, professionally and emotionally. By cultivating a growth mind set, we can do far more — and far better — than we realize. OM
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