Have and own

Two weeks earlier

The first time I walk into the doctor’s office with a problem. A problem, I want a quick pill for that and then get on with my life. So with a bag full of stuff from the pharmacy, I go to work. Neatly following the instructions and not paying too much attention to anything else. Because my life is full enough. With such a full life, it feels like a loss to slow down. So let those pills take care of it, then I can move on.

Couple of days on

Those pills think otherwise. So they don’t help, it even gets worse. So I cross the threshold of the doctor for the second time. Between a couple of meetings, that doctor’s visit and the blood test can wait. Result of the test? All lights on deep green. The doctor himself wasn’t even that healthy, she notes. Don’t I happen to be considering a career as a lifestyle coach? Good to hear, but it doesn’t solve my problem. So: new instructions, new pile of stuff from the pharmacy. Most of the previous pile I can dispose of in the medicine waste. Paracetamol, allergy pill and onward again.

It’s weekend

That “and-again-by-mindset” turns out to mean mostly “and-again-by-the-emergency-room. And on to the hospital pharmacy again. You guessed it: with a third pile of medication I walk out of the hospital. The previous stack? Half-used in the medicine bin.

And so now I’m at the doctor’s office for the fourth time. Frustrated, disappointed, but also suddenly very aware of myself. Because what had happened in the past few weeks? What had I actually asked the doctor? What had I gotten? Was the story true? Looking back on it now, I realized that I had made a big mistake: I had taken the wheel out of my hands. Nota bene the wheel of my own health!

Passenger

The only initiative I had taken was to go to the doctor the first time. Then I sat down in the passenger seat. Very reactively, I answered every question the doctors asked me. Slavishly I followed all the instructions and bought all the medications. That’s how I went whooping.

From now on I turn it around

I delve into my situation; read package inserts; consult sources and prepare questions. I do now discuss options with the doctor and ask about the possible consequences. After all, who knows best how I feel? That would be me. I am with my own health every day, and all those different doctors each make up only 10 minutes of my life. No, my health must be owned by myself. With the knowledge and resources I have, I now make my own plan and identify risks. I discuss this with the doctor and ask her to hone it with her expertise. I own the problem and ask the doctor to come up with a smart solution for it together. Result: my health improves rapidly.

Conclusion?

I think we are too quick to take a “miracle pill” instead of taking responsibility. Of course, it is very easy to blame the pill if nothing improves. But, we have to own our problems in order to fix them.

Sometimes I myself am in the position of “the doctor. That happens when an organization asks me for advice. Then they would like a miracle pill from Dr. Anton. But I don’t have those pills. I just have a lot of experience with leadership, autonomy, organizational forms, group dynamics, Scrum, Agile and innovation. Together we can make a smart plan. But if no one owns the problem, little will change. Contact me especially, and together we’ll see how we own and fix your problem.