Performance.

I find it amazing that the measurement of success can be similar within the fields of medicine, music, and business. Expectations cannot be met in these fields without practice, persistence in striving for a goal, and patience in revealing results associated with hard work.

As a physician-musician, entrepreneur, practice owner and MBA graduate, I have personally experienced how confidence, knowledge and practice all intersect to create optimal patient outcomes, a flawless musical performance, or a successful business action plan. It’s all about preparing for the performance!!

As a double major in college, I didn’t feel that there was much overlap in the concepts I was learning with my Biology and Music classes. In reflecting back to my undergraduate education, determination to prepare for performing in either academics or on the concert hall stage were a common pathways to achieving excellence. I now believe that my roots in music helped to teach me about determination and preparation in ways that were not taught in academia.

Physicians perform daily. It takes many years of training to perform a flawless procedure. Repetitive habits and protocols in business can increase profit and potential for expansion. Practicing a musical passage over and over with different tempos and iterations reflects the repetition that is needed to improve outcomes with any algorithm applied in business or medicine.

Positive imagery of any future event or performance is important for us all. Visualizing the steps of an appendectomy—envisioning the sutures, texture of the tissue, temperature of the surrounding organs and recovery care of the patient can be compared to visualization of a musical performance on stage or a business presentation to win the bid! Remaining calm during these mindful simulations is a way to practice for the real performance.

Anxiety or fear surrounding key events in a career can stifle or curtail any performance. Impostor syndrome and self-doubt can creep in and derail performance of the most elite entrepreneurs, physicians or musicians. Having a method for self-coaching can allow performers in any field to overcome self-limiting thoughts and practice successful outcomes with mindfulness.