Reenvision your vision board so your life doesn't suck...as much | Sogol Pahlavan | TEDxRiceUSalon

NOTE FROM TED: This talk only represents the speaker's personal views and understanding of the brain. TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here: http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/t...

We need to re-envision our “vision boards” in ways that move us away from what we want to achieve and move us toward how we want to feel. We are in the midst of a mental health crisis in this country...I see it everyday as a physician. And I've experienced it myself. At the age of 40 I had reached “success”. From the outside, it looked like a Cinderella story, as if I had mapped out my vision board at birth. The truth was…… I felt miserable.

But being a good doctor I had to give myself a diagnosis “R53.82” or “Chronic fatigue NOS-not otherwise specified.” That translates into “I have no clue what is wrong with you.” And, you know what….. I didn’t know what was wrong with me.

But then one night I was debating with my kids about adopting a dog. I was against the idea--the last thing I needed was another thing to worry about-- but then my 10 year old daughter turned to me and, in this kind soft voice, said, “Mom, I don’t think you have any love left in your body.”

That stopped me in my tracks……. and I began to wonder if she was right? What if what I WANTED, what I truly desired and craved but somehow lost was MYSELF.

That led me on a journey toward re-envisioning my vision board. Too often when we start to imagine where we want to be in the future we base it on external metrics visible to others. On what we’re supposed to want. We need to do the opposite. We need to focus on how we want to feel. The key is to open our hearts to the full human experience by connecting to ourselves. Dr. Sogol Pahlavan is a board-certified pediatrician and founder & managing partner of ABC Pediatric Clinic established in 2008. After struggling with burnout Dr. Sogol embarked on a journey of mindfulness living & became certified as a mindfulness physician coach working with female midlife physicians. She utilizes mindfulness tools, meditation, yoga, reiki, and breath work to connect to the present moment to find self-fulfillment and JOY. She teaches physicians to fully take back responsibility for their life by reclaiming their power and committing to being their most authentic selves. She is also an avid podcaster of mindful living with Dr.Sogol. She shares her own personal story with other midlife female physicians struggling with finding authenticity and fulfillment in life. She co-founded CPR for the SOULS, a community exclusive for midlife female physicians wanting to find calm, feel free, and live an authentic life. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx