Photo by Ryan Quintal on Unsplash

Table of contents

1. Preface

2. Main Article

3. OMFS World

4. Stuff (App, Gear)

Preface

After uploading my first-ever YouTube video 🎬 last week, it was only natural to go to the movies.

🍿 👦🏻 So I took secondborn to watch the Super Mario Bros. Movie.

👦🏼👶🏼Firstborn decided to sit this one out, and thirdborn was more interested in what matters: milk and sleep.

🎥The movie theater provided the best seating experience I have ever had. Instead of chairs, they now have couches with electric buttons that lower your back and lift your legs. It was incredibly comfortable.

💤 Since I’m constantly sleep-deprived, I almost fell asleep. At one point, my eyes closed for a millisecond, but secondborn immediately noticed and said, "Dad, don't close your eyes because you need to watch the movie.” That's the 5-year-old version of “Dad, you've been warned.”

👸 The movie was great! I have a warm spot for Nintendo characters, and Princess Peach is a favorite of mine.

Forgive my serious grown-up take on a kid's-movie character, but Princess Peach can teach you a thing or two about leadership.

One of my favorite parts was when Princess Peach assured Mario they would save his brother Luigi. With a confident look in her eyes, she inspired trust in Mario.

She didn't know whether it would be possible or not.

She DECIDED that this is how it's going to be.

That's leadership.

That brings us to today's newsletter.

Saying “yes.”

With a “yes,” we mark the destination and embark on the journey without knowing whether it's possible.

Once we mark the destination, we realize that the small steps of our journey are all possible.

Nothing's impossible.

🚀I love the part where President JFK says (I'm paraphrasing): “We shall send a rocket to the moon, made of new metal alloys, SOME OF WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN INVENTED.”

The metal alloys have yet to be invented!

But the goal is set, and the inventors are inspired.

That is, in essence, leadership. That is, in essence, saying “yes.”

Enjoy number 34!

Main Article

🏃‍♀️ Throughout my life, I've worked with various teams and organizations, each with unique goals, work environments, and cultures.

I've noticed that some groups use the word “no” more often than “yes.” In some groups, “yes” was the default answer.

I learned a lot from both types of teams.

🙌But over time, I've realized that the people I admire are the ones who prefer to say “yes.”

The same individuals refuse to accept the notion of the “impossible.”

Don't get me wrong.

🥊Hearing “yes” didn't always lead to a triumph.

On the contrary. Their “yes” often resulted in my failure.

But I never thought they should have stopped me with a “no.” I'm glad they let me try.

😰Come to think of it, I've tasted failure more times than I can remember.

But I never held it against them.

They engrained something in me.

Anything is possible.

“Yes.”

👨‍🏫 As I continued to grow in my career and transitioned from a student to a teacher, I've become the one who makes decisions about what's possible. I'm the one who guides and mentor the younger and naive minds.

My default answer is “yes.”

My scientific hypothesis is "nothing's impossible.”

🤔 Whether I’ll be right or wrong remains to be seen.

As for your day-to-day life as a surgeon, scientist, and mentor, it confronts you with the more practical aspects of saying “yes” and “no.”

So how do I decide whether “yes”, or the more elusive “no”, will be my answer?

🔵 When to say “Yes”

• 🏂If it leads to more opportunities: Saying “yes” opens up possibilities for trying new things, meeting new people, and learning new skills.
  
  

• 🤝If it will help build stronger relationships: Saying “yes” shows your willingness to cooperate and work towards a common goal, building trust and deeper connections with others.
  
  

• 😱If it pushes you to overcome fears and insecurities: Saying yes can move you out of your comfort zone and build confidence. It can also show you that formerly impossible things can be achieved with effort and perseverance.
  
  

• 👩‍🎨If it leads to personal growth and new perspectives: When you say “yes,” this can broaden your horizons and help you to see the world in new ways.
  
  

Importantly, failure or success is merely a byproduct of all the reasons mentioned above. In other words, you will ALWAYS gain something from saying yes, even if you fail.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts."
— Winston Churchill

🔵 What to consider before saying “No”

• 💸Consider the cost of saying “yes”: Will it cost you time, money, or energy? Will it require you to give up something important to you? If the cost is too high, it's better to say no. Don't sacrifice your well-being!
  
  

• 👫Consider the relationship: How close are you to the person making the request? How much do you value their friendship or partnership with you? If you're not close, you have more freedom to say “no” without feeling guilty.
  
  

• 🍦Say “no” graciously: If you decide to say no, it's important to do so graciously. Don't make the other person feel bad for asking!

“A 'no' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble."
— Mahatma Gandhi

OMFS World

🥼For the OMFS resident - Paul Tiwana and Deepak Kademani just released the 2nd Edition of the Atlas of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 📚 I used the 1st edition more times than I can remember, and I think this is the best Atlas for the OMFS resident.

🩺For the non-MD medical professional - For those who are seriously invested in improving their medical knowledge, I highly recommend signing up for UWorld's annual plan and practicing ten USMLE Step 2 questions every day.

👨‍💻UWorld is a comprehensive question bank that covers all aspects of medicine. The high-quality explanations and diagrams will help you understand the material. I'm a firm believer in active learning (through answering questions). It's much more effective than simply reading textbooks

Stuff

📱Application I use - A week ago, I uploaded my first-ever YouTube video 🎬 and started using YouTube Studio. It's a web application that provides creators tools for uploading videos and managing analytics. Once my video was ready, uploading it with YouTube Studio was extremely simple.

💡Gear I use - Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones 🎧. Hands down, these are my #1 over-the-ear headphones of all time (Apple AirPods Pro 2 being my #1 in-ear headphones). They sound wonderful, their active noise cancellation is second to none, and their battery life is crazy: 30 hours!

Although Sony released a newer version (WH-1000XM5) with better specs, I don't like the XM5's new design, which makes it less portable. I believe Sony tried to resemble Bose's headphones, and let's hope Sony will bring back the folding design when they release XM6.

For those considering Apple's AirPods Max, take their heavy weight and ridiculous “smart case” into account.

Epilogue

That's it for this issue.

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Have a great weekend!

Shay