Author: Dr Erwin Kwun

Living a Purposeful Life

Most people go about with their life and do not ask themselves important questions about their dreams. Guess what was the most common regret dying people express? I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. This was the most common regret people had […]

3 Steps to Achieve Flow

Can you remember a moment when you experienced effortless focus while doing something that you were completely absorbed, that time stood still? Athletes call it being in “The Zone.” Psychologists have studied this mental state which they call flow. Csikszentmihalyi, author of Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience described â€śThe flow experience has the potential to make life […]

How to Be Happier?

Most people miss opportunities that can bring moment of joy and happiness everyday because they don’t appreciate good things happening to them. Gratitude (Great Attitude) is a pathway to happiness many of us don’t practice. I know what you are thinking. Give me a break! Gratitude is so clichĂ©. Let me run through a couple of […]

From Dream to Reality

A little over a decade ago, I had a dream. It was to become a doctor. I was good at science and was up for a challenge. Back then, I didn’t know whether I could make it or not. Growing up, I didn’t have much confidence talking to people. That dream seemed unreachable to realise. […]

Circle of Competence: How Warren Buffett Makes Decisions

The concept the “circle of competence” was developed by Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger to focus on investing in areas they knew best and avoiding areas they didn’t understand. In his 1996 letter to Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett explained the concept: What an investor needs is the ability to correctly evaluate selected businesses. Note that word […]

Lifelong Learning

Schooling is an important process that imparts knowledge and develops skills. Most people associate learning with formal education. While education typically ends after one graduates university, learning doesn’t stop after formal education. Learning is not confined to the four walls of a classroom but takes place throughout life in different environments. Lifelong learning in the medical […]

Better Decisions: 3 Time-Tested Mental Frameworks

We make thousands of decisions every day, yet most of us have not been taught how to make better decision. Doctors make critical decisions daily. The consequences of these decisions impact upon the lives of people. Sometimes, the quality of decision determines outcomes between life and death.  Making decision is a complex process that requires an ability […]

The Benefits of Delayed Gratification

A common trait highly successful people exhibit is their ability to delay gratification. They have a long-term future focus. We all know patience is a virtue. Most of us know in the back of our mind we ought to think long term. We want everything now Yet, we favour choices that bring us instant gratification […]

From Failing AKT to a Pass

When Dr Stephen first came to me, he was desperate having failed MRCGP AKT multiple times. He lost all hope and self-esteem. The previous attempts deflated his confidence. Stephen was granted one last chance to sit the exam. He was nervous as this was his final attempt. It was make-or-break time. We worked together and […]