#186 3 Tough Moments I’m So Grateful For ft. Peter Kim, MD
In this episode, Dr. Peter Kim shares how challenges in his medical residency, work disappointments, and personal crises lead to treasured moments of growth and gratitude. Learn about adaptability, financial independence, and balancing success with happiness in challenging moments of uncertainty.
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Episode Highlights
Now, let’s look at what we discussed in this episode:
- Being Grateful During Tough Moments
- First Moment: The Residency Match
- Second Moment: Getting My Dream Job
- Third Moment: My Father’s Health Crisis
- Why Give Up So Much of My Time?
Here’s a breakdown of how this episode unfolds.
Episode Breakdown
Being Grateful During Tough Moments
Peter opens by highlighting the value of looking back at difficult times and recognizing how they positively shape our future. He shares that today’s episode is a personal reflection on three pivotal moments in his life that, while initially tough, proved to be transformative.
“There were so many tough moments, where if I look back, I can see how that needed to happen for me to be where I am today.” — Peter Kim, MD.
First Moment: The Residency Match
Dr. Peter continues by recounting his journey through the medical residency match process. Initially aiming for urology but ultimately becoming an anesthesiologist, Peter faced disappointment when not matching and later received conflicting offers from a particular program. Despite these setbacks, he eventually matched into the same institution, finding his passion for OB anesthesia.
He shares that these unexpected turns led to his fulfillment in his chosen specialty, expressing gratitude towards a chief resident who suggested considering anesthesiology.
“Looking back, I just realized that all of this needed to happen for me to find out where I wanted to be, to get at the specialty that I was passionate about, where I can make a difference.” — Peter Kim, MD.
Second Moment: Getting My Dream Job
Peter’s second moment revolves around becoming a partner in an OB anesthesia practice and confronting unmet workplace expectations. His experience, marked by broken promises and disillusionment, propelled him towards seeking financial independence.
Through extensive learning and networking, he began investing passively and eventually started the blog, “Passive Income MD,” which grew into a platform for sharing insights with other physicians. This provided a new path for him towards financial security and a redefined life.
“It was at that moment when it seemed like everything was ripped out under me that I realized that it took me on a different path completely.” — Peter Kim, MD.
Third Moment: My Father’s Health Crisis
Dr. Kim presses on by sharing his third moment, a deeply personal account of his father’s health crisis that brought about profound reflections on life and priorities.
Engaging in deep conversations with his father about life and priorities, Peter noted his father’s regret about not spending enough time with the family during their youth, prompting him to reconsider his work-life balance and priorities to focus more on personal happiness and family time
“My dad said that what he missed most was family fun when his kids were young, but he also added that he was working a lot during that time. If he could go back, he said he would work less.” — Peter Kim, MD.
Why Give Up So Much of My Time?
Peter concludes by reflecting on how he reconsidered his priorities after contemplating the value of spending time with family. He reevaluated his work-life balance, prioritizing creating meaningful moments in the present rather than solely focusing on future security.
He expresses gratitude for the transformative experiences, emphasizes the significance of tough moments in shaping one’s life, and encourages everyone to cherish time with their family too.
“I remember thinking, why am I giving up so much time? Right now, if this was the happiest time in my life, or potentially the happiest time of my life, why would I give up so much of it working to create a future that might not even come” — Peter Kim, MD.
