During the pandemic, when everything was pretty uncertain, I loved watching Ted Lasso. There was a kindness and an optimism that I sorely needed at that time. The arc of the show is about caring for each other despite the messiness of life - mistakes and breakups and panic attacks but with hope.

Graduating from residency is a monumental achievement, one that marks the transition from student to professional in the medical field. And all of the current residents were affected by COVID. It was a scary, messy, turbulent time that is thankfully closer to the rearview mirror now. 

But with this transition to post-residency life, now is a time filled with excitement, relief, and a normal bit of anxiety about the future. I was looking at a fellowship in a new city, where I moved while pregnant (this wasn't the plan but it took 3 years to get pregnant), with no friends and not enough money. 

Now while I didn't have this perspective at the time, I recommend that as you start your next chapter, you also embrace a piece of wisdom from Ted Lasso that I find to be particularly useful and it is "Be a Goldfish."

Now when I first heard this, it didn't make sense to me. However, with a little explanation, the beauty of this concept has been one that I now embrace and greatly appreciate. 

When Ted Lasso’s character tells his colleagues to be like a goldfish, what he is really saying is to Embrace Your Short Memory.

In this contect, the "Be a Goldfish" advice is given to encourage quickly letting go of the negative emotions around mistakes and setbacks. This allows you the time and the space to learn from your mistakes but don’t beat yourself up or the people around you. Just learn and move forward.

As medical professionals, this can be particularly valuable. The nature of our work is intense and despite our best efforts, mistakes are an inevitable part of the learning curve. 

There is NO value in sitting in the negative. Flogging yourself for the mistake does not make you a better person or fix anything that has already happened. But it can set up bad long term neural patterns that lead you to waste time and energy ruminating WITHOUT ANY BENEFIT. So acknowledge your shortcomings and move on. 

Accepting that mistakes will happen and embracing the goldfish mindset can result in the following Benefits:

1. Resilience Against Setbacks

Medicine is a field where many outcomes are outside of our control. 

Developing the ability to let go of negative experiences quickly allows you to move forward with a clearer mind, focusing on what’s ahead rather than dwelling on the past.

We know that our brains are wired for survival. Because of this, we continue to have a significant negativity bias that causes us to jump into fight or flight mode with negative emotions. The good news is that usually, we are not actually in danger and being quick to step out of the negative emotions allows us to abort those thoughts and stop this process.

This ability to quickly let go is one of the keys to resilience which is based on the capacity to recover quickly from setbacks.  This in turn results in improvements in self-esteem, interpersonal relationships at work, and sense of control and purpose in life.1,2

2. Maintaining Mental Health

In addition to wasted time and energy, constantly ruminating on past errors can lead to burnout and anxiety. A 2022 study reported that physical and cognitive concerns, as well as depression and anxiety, were significantly associated with negative attention bias.3 

Luckily the opposite is also true, that positivity has been shown to results in reduced levels of depression and improved resilience, as well as increased satisfaction.4

All of these findings reinforce the idea that aiming to hold on to negative emotions for a short period (or as long as a goldfish’s short memory) helps you to focus on right now and the future. And this, in turn, keeps your mental health in check and even improves it. 

This reminds me of Dory in Finding Nemo, who has a terrible short-term memory but her core goal (just keep swimming) literally helps her to keep moving forward with happiness and purpose…. Although be a blue tang just doesn't have the same catchiness 🙂 

3. Improved Self-Compassion

The concept of self-compassion has been most prominently put forward and studied by Kristin Neff. She defines self-compassion as the act of being kind and nonjudgmental toward ourselves.5 Dr. Neff. notes that self-compassion involves three interconnected elements: self-kindness (supporting and being kind to oneself instead of self-criticism), common humanity (recognizing life’s challenges as a universal human experience), and mindfulness (maintaining nonjudgmental, accepting awareness of our experiences moment to moment).

Increasing evidence demonstrates that self-compassion significantly reduces  depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress across multiple studies involving diverse populations.6

Moreover, positivity has been associated with improving self-compassion and vice versa.7

So please remember that being kind to yourself is just as important as providing care to others. Give yourself the same grace you would give to a friend or colleague who was in your position.  

4. Improved Decision Making

When you truly move past current or past mistakes, the thoughts about these events  no longer clutter your brain. You don’t live in the midst of your past regrets. 

I don’t know about you, but I have definitely woken up in the middle of the night and continued to run back over past regrets. This wasted time has kept me from paying attention to current issues and absolutely took my focus away from current decisions. 

Once you put these thoughts to rest, this gives you the mental capacity to make sound, timely decisions. In addition, positive thinkers often make better choices because their minds are not clouded by fear or negativity. With a clear focus on positive outcomes, they approach decisions more effectively, leading to improved results. Studies suggest that this is true even for complex decisions including medical decision-making and problem-solving.

Clearing your brain of the negative opens up the space to really evaluate new issues  and be more efficient. This is especially important as indecision itself is a huge time waster for many people.

To embody this mentality, consider the following Strategies to Cultivate the Goldfish Mindset:

1. Reflect and Move On

•  Allocate specific times for reflection
• Allow yourself to analyze and learn from experiences
• Once done, make a conscious effort to move on
• Journaling can be a helpful tool in this process

2. Mindfulness Practices

•  Engage in mindfulness and meditation exercises
• These practices help ground you in the present moment, reducing the tendency to dwell on past events.

3. Seek Support

•  Surround yourself with positive influences and mentors who encourage growth and provide constructive feedback without judgment
• A supportive environment fosters resilience

4. Set Boundaries

• Learn to set emotional boundaries
• Acknowledge mistakes, but don’t let them define you
• Establishing healthy work-life integration is essential in maintaining this separation

5. Celebrate Small Wins 

• Just as a goldfish doesn’t linger on the past, celebrate your victories, no matter how small
• This helps build a positive outlook and reinforces a forward-thinking mindset

As you step into the next phase of your medical career, I recommend that you remember  the wisdom of Ted Lasso’s "Be a Goldfish" philosophy.  

Let go of mistakes and negative thoughts. Learn from them and embrace resilience. Focus on the present, and maintain a positive outlook. 

By doing so, you’ll not only enhance your professional growth but also ensure your well-being at home and at work.

Best of luck and I wish you a fulfilling and impactful career in medicine.

If you are interested in a course to help you navigate your first year in practice, please DM me @sishmancoach on instagram

References

1. McAllister, Margaret, and Jessica McKinnon. "The importance of teaching and learning resilience in the health disciplines: a critical review of the literature." Nurse Education Today 29.4 (2009): 371-379.
2. Masten AS, Cutuli JJ, Herbers JE, Reed MG. 12 Resilience in Development. The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology. 2009; 21:117.
3. Li S, Li X. The Relationship Between Attentional Bias, Anxiety Sensitivity, and Depression and Anxiety Symptoms: Evidence From the COVID-19 Pandemic in China. Front Public Health. 2022 Feb 8;10:832819. 
4. Santos V, Paes F, Pereira V, Arias-Carrión O, Silva AC, Carta MG, Nardi AE, Machado S. The role of positive emotion and contributions of positive psychology in depression treatment: systematic review. Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health. 2013 Nov 28;9:221-37.
5. Han A, Kim TH. Effects of Self-Compassion Interventions on Reducing Depressive Symptoms, Anxiety, and Stress: A Meta-Analysis. Mindfulness (N Y). 2023 Jun 5:1-29. doi: 10.1007/s12671-023-02148-x. Epub ahead of print. 
6. Neff K. Self-compassion: An alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self & Identity. 2003;2(2):85. 
7. Neff KD, Rude SS, Kirkpatrick KL. An examination of self-compassion in relation to positive psychological functioning and personality traits. Journal of Research in Personality. 2007;41(4):908-916.