Physician Life Booster Header Logo
LOGIN
← Back to all posts

Optional label, actually: You're not wired that- you're practiced

Jul 15, 2025

If you’re using an adjective to describe yourself, we’ve got news for you.
Adjectives are never facts. 
They’re interpretations. And interpretations are always subjective and optional. In fact, often the opposite adjective could also describe you, maybe even better. 

Ever hear yourself say something like:

“I’m just disorganized”
“I’m too wishy-washy”
“I’m impatient”

It feels like you’re stating a fact—like reporting a lab value or a diagnostic code. 

What we label, we create and reinforce. The more you think “I’m scattered,” the more you act in ways that support that belief, and the more your brain notices when you act that way—not because it’s wired into your brain, but because your brain likes to stay consistent with what it already believes.

But many of us are unconsciously casting votes for identities we don’t even want—just because we’ve gotten used to thinking they’re true.

That “I’m just this way” identity? It’s not hardwired. It’s practiced. It’s a pattern your brain has rehearsed. And this feedback look just keeps reinforcing itself. 

But sometimes, the simple phrase “this is just an adjective” can halt the cycle.  

It can remind you that the words you choose to describe yourself don't have to be permanent, they’re not facts. 

Imagine what’s possible if your adjectives can change and evolve…

 

When did you decide that: Maybe it's been true for long enough
One of the nice things about medicine is that we're expected to change our minds. New evidence comes out. Guidelines get updated. Best practices evolve. If someone proudly announced they were still practicing exactly the way they learned twenty years ago because "that's how I've always done it," we'd all be a little concerned. So here's a question:When was the last time you updated the standard...
#100: One hundred Tuesdays. Thank you for spending them with us
Almost two years ago, we sent our first Weekly Boost. We hoped it might make someone's Tuesday a little lighter. Today is our 100th Tuesday. One hundred little reminders that life doesn't have to be lived quite so hard. Over these past hundred Tuesdays, we've shared a lot of ideas. That peace isn't waiting at the end of the to do list.That feelings are messengers, not dictators.That validation ...
Promotion denied: The best news you didn't know you needed
One of the sneakiest ways we make life harder than it needs to be is by accidentally taking responsibility for jobs that were never ours.  And we’re not talking about doing our teenager’s laundry for them.  We're talking about emotional jobs. The invisible ones we assign ourselves without even realizing it.  We tell someone how we feel... then think it's our job to make sure they understand per...
Powered by Kajabi

PLB Membership

Join the waitlist today to be the
FIRST to know when the next enrollment opens!

 

We won't send spam. Unsubscribe at any time.