Stimulus Episode 50 was released this morning and features NYT bestselling author Scott Carney. Scott's recent book, The Wedge, explores the space between stimulus and response. More specifically, it is about activating something within yourself in order to thrive in a difficult moment.
Much of my conversation with Scott focused on physical stress, like cold exposure and breath-holding. But when the question turned to how to apply the wedge in a moment of life-or-death patient care, the answer really surprised me.
The question: A patient is dying and the clinician is trying the lifesaving procedure but has not succeeded on several attempts. Heart is racing, mind is going blank, and they are lost as to what to do next, even though the next steps would be obvious if the situation weren't so charged. How might a wedge help?
The Answer: Visualize failure.
When I first heard it, I was taken aback. Doesn't that fly in the face of all the positive thinking and such that we're taught since childhood? Well, the truth is that all of the positive thinking can leave you with just one path and opens the door for only accepting perfection.
In critical situations, there are multiple things that can go wrong. Some degree of professional detachment, knowing that bad things can happen, places a wedge between the stimulus of the situation and how you respond. You are not giving up; you are still trying your best. But you're also creating space and giving yourself permission to fail.
We take great pains in training and in theater to get to the optimal outcome. We are not ones to embrace failure. Assuming that optimal is the only possible outcome, however, can be paralyzing. As Gail Gazelle said in episode 27, "Perfection is an unattainable standard. It leaves us so dissatisfied with ourselves.” And Loren Rauch put it so well in episode 22, “Perfectionism is socially advantageous and personally expensive.”
So what to do? Do good work, try your best, and KEEP ON ROCKING.
Much love,
Robbie O
