1-The world is a far safer place because never in my life have I worn a pair of” skinny jeans.”

2- Apparently, I will interact daily with others who are always seeking an emotionally safe place? Does that even exist? Those that report to me and those I report to rarely seem anything but interested in an emotionally safe space.

3-There will be individuals in your work and personal life that will not like you for many superficial reasons and will make your life extraordinarily difficult; do they deserve your time and energy? Is it my problem or theirs? Who cares anyway?

4- Humanity has made extraordinary technological growth but little emotional development; we still fight wars and cannot resolve daily conflicts with civility.

5- People are so much more than the bad things that happen to them.

6- A large population of Americana has difficulty managing expectations and reality. My experiences in medicine have taught me expectations never meet reality, even for the ultra-successful. So I have become quite comfortable that many efforts I put daily into my craft will seldom get praised, so I live with gratitude for every obstacle I conquer in quiet humbleness.

7- I have reached unprecedented levels of national and international success; when I retrace my steps, I cannot verbalize how I got here; I resort to words of vigorous hard work. I could always outwork anyone and had the heart of an explorer.

8- The American culture has little patience and expectations; we want it now, and who cares about the future? I have an innate gift of patience and the ability to have a long-term vision.

9-The truth can be so painful to hear. It is much easier to accept our reality with denial.

10- What I do for a living is extraordinarily abstract to many people. I am constantly managing an imminent threat of death in a patient or managing a patient’s death and keeping them alive; unless you are in the room, you just don’t understand, and I am all right with that.