Change: The Law of Life

By Roberto Colon, MD, chief medical officer, Miami Valley Hospital

Change is one of the few constants in our lives. As President John F. Kennedy once said, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.” It is inevitable, and it is a part of evolution and growth. Change is frequently disruptive, but disruptions are constructive when they help us improve and progress. It is often our attitude to change that dictates its effect on outcomes.

For physicians, change has been a requirement in our lives. The progression through our educational paths has required changes in educational institutions, often associated with a change in where we live. Every step is necessary to reach our ultimate goals. As new developments in medicine have arrived, we have had to change to better care for patients. Our testing, our delivery of care, and our communication with patients are vastly different than they were just a few short decades ago.

For those of us with children, change happens at home every day. We watch fully dependent children change before our very eyes, grow up, and mature into independent adults. As many of us know, some of those steps can be painful and, at times, emotional and challenging, like teenagers exercising their autonomy. We all realize this change is necessary if we want them to become successful and embark on their adventures and pursuits. And while we relish in memories of sweet, lovable kids, we thrive in dreaming about their future success.

Change is needed for personal development and can happen with often challenging steps. Premier Health must change if we want to continue to thrive. We are evolving, maturing, and transforming to achieve our next stage of growth, and just like in our own lives, it requires some adjustments. We will face difficult decisions and, for some, moments of personal doubt or insecurity.  However, we must be brave and daring to reach new levels of success and fulfill our vision of inspiring better health.

If change is inevitable, hard, anxiety-provoking, and even frightening, then let us embrace it. More importantly, let’s face these challenges together as one. We must see our image of success…and run to it.

Back to the March 2023 issue of Premier Pulse