Four steps to surgical mastery

Chitradurga
22 Feb 2022

A colleague of mine wrote to me, “Prahlad, I was in the gulf for a long time and now returned home for good. There was no opportunity to learn there. Can I learn now? That too at the age of 55?” 

My answer was, “Of course, yes. Age is only a mere number. It’s the mindset that matters.” 

How do we understand one’s mindset, and how do we change the mindset from passive to proactive?

Understanding mindset starts with defining where we are and what we want and feeling the pain of not having it. If we are not clear and cannot articulate precisely what we want, certainly we cannot get it. So we have to set our target, decide that we will make it our reality, and then make it real through our commitment to action over time. And pain is a great motivator for most people. 

During my MBA days, I had read an exciting concept called the SSF method from M.J. DeMarco‘s book The Millionaire Fastlane. The book is about cracking the code to wealth and living rich for a lifetime. The SSF stands for The Sidewalk, Slow Lane, Fast Lane Method for generating wealth. Now this concept is widely used by marketing people.   

1. The sidewalk

People on the Sidewalk are not ready to lead a proactive surgical career. They ignore all the advantages. Often they fail to perceive the pain. Despite having some painful symptoms in their work and other areas of life, they try to ignore them. They firmly believe that’s the way it is.  

To move from the sidewalk to the slow lane, they need to clearly understand the problem and how much it costs them. They need education, illumination, insight, or revelation. Regularly participating in live surgical or cadaver dissection courses will be a great motivator. Once they know the problem, they are open to the right solutions.     

2. The Slow lane.

It’s innate human nature to constantly find solutions for problems. Once a person is aware of a problem and its consequences, they start looking for ways to resolve them. First, they look for proven methods or processes to resolve their issues. Then, they look for mentors who they can trust. Once methods and mentors are available, moving to a fast lane is easy.     

Todd Herman, a performance advisor to athletes, leaders and public figures and award-winning author of ‘The Alter Ego Effect‘, said, “If you want something, go get it. If you want something faster, go get it with a great mentor.”

3. The fast lane

People who understand their problem and identify a potentially viable solution stay firmly in the fast lane. However, it is challenging to remain in the fast lane for a long time. People enter a comfort zone. It is often said nothing fails like success. What worked earlier may not work in the future, eventually leading to failure. Unless they keep a vigil, it is easy to drift back into the slow lane. We need to keep innovating and updating ourselves for new ways to remain relevant.   

It takes four steps to reach mastery. Feel the pain. Find which lane we are in. Follow methods and mentors. Finally, keep re-inventing. 

With best regards, 

Dr. Prahlada N.B

+91-9342310854

prahladnb@gmail.com