Success and happiness are often determined by where we place our focus: within ourselves or on external factors. Mastery lies in asking the right questions, and understanding the locus of control is a key part of this. Those who focus on what they can influence are generally happier and more successful. In this episode, we explore the philosophy behind the locus of control, its impact on burnout, the importance of small bets in making significant changes, and state vs. trait gratitude. Finally, we delve into practical strategies to cultivate a more resilient mindset

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Guest Bio: Dan Mccollum, MD is an emergency physician and Director of Teaching and Learning at the Medical College of Georgia. Hear more of Dan on Stimulus episodes #1 Verbal Judo #14 Stoic With A Capital S, #25 Digital Minimalism, and #59 Aim to Be A Zero.

We Discuss:

1. Waiting room medicine has become the norm. It's not ideal. So what do you do about it?
2. The power of placing small bets
3. Stoicism and the philosophy behind locus of control
4. Some things in the world are up to us; others are not
5. Sextus, "The crowd is irrelevant."
6. What is the locus of control?
7. Shades of gray in the locus of control
8. The Stoic approach to patient complaints
9. Taming the blame ogre
10. Domains of control and the paradox of varied strength
11. The Stoic approach to patient complaints
12. How a mishandled aspirin overdose led to a major recalibration of control locus
13. A tactical approach to developing an internal locus of control
14. The 'Good' reframe
15. The five slices of gift exercise
16. The jar of awesome
17. Power of an end-of-day debrief
18. Trait vs. state of gratitude
19. Not every approach is for everybody
20. Book recommendations for operationalizing an internal locus of control

Mentioned in this episode:

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