A Personal Note.
Hi All,
A much delayed and overdue Happy 2021 to you! As you may have noticed, it’s been pretty quiet from me and the Infinite Learner the last two months. I've been silent here, but busy learning an unexpected set of lessons.
Right after Thanksgiving, I got into a bike accident. I ended up needing surgery on my right collarbone, which put me out of commission for several weeks (see picture below for dramatic effect). I am not usually one to share such personal information, but with the mission of the Infinite Learner in mind, I wanted to take the opportunity to share what I learned during this forced time-off.
1. Health is Everything. But So Is Resilience.
This is the first time I experienced the impact of not being able to do the things I love for a prolonged period of time because I was physically unwell. Whether that was (ahem) cycling or skiing, cooking, or even using my laptop to write this newsletter. I had to take a break from everything and focus on my recovery.
Being immobile and needing to rely on others for almost everything was difficult.
Not having my escape valve for dealing with stress and anxiety, which usually involves going for a run, working out, or riding my bike, was challenging.
What I learned is that we are often more resilient than we think we are. After all of the ups and downs of this last year (the pandemic, leaving my job, and not having my own physical space), there was still some resiliency left in the can for this rainy day.
I take it as a reminder to never doubt what you’re capable of.
2. The Medical System is Absolutely Broken in the US. And I Want to Do Something About It.
Trying to navigate insurance, doctors, and hospital billing systems while being in pain from a fractured bone was intense. I consider myself to be both lucky and privileged in managing to get the proper coverage for what was a time-sensitive surgery. While thirty percent of American families say they regularly delay accessing health care because of concerns about cost. I was also fortunate to have a friend who was well versed in the for-profit US healthcare system to help navigate this Canadian through the process.
My struggle got me thinking and reading about how to change the US's broken system. I especially loved Mark Cuban perspective - he highlights that "one of the greatest lies ever told to the American people is that insurance is a proxy for wellness". I also learned about United States of Care, a non-partisan non-profit whose mission is to ensure that everyone has access to quality, affordable health care regardless of health status, social need, or income.
I know that I’m just scratching the surface in terms of understanding the existing system, but I’m determined to learn more, and determined to help those less fortunate than me where I can. If anyone reading this is already involved in the healthcare system or has spent time learning about ways to improve it, I’d love to hear from you.
3. My #1 Goal: Always Be in Control of Your Own Time.
I recognize the luxury I had in being able to focus 100% of my time on the healing process. I did not worry about a job I had to get back to. I didn't worry about a project suffering due to my absence, or even worse -- being fired because I couldn’t “go to” work. Although my business may have slowed in the interim, I was able to make a conscious (long-term) decision that the best thing for my healing would be to do nothing for the first month post-surgery.
This choice affirms everything I am striving to do with the Infinite Learner, and everything I am building towards with my own life. I want to always be in control of my own time -- the ultimate freedom.
4. It’s Useful To Learn How To Sign Your Name With Your Non-Dominant Hand.
Just in case you don’t have any other choice :)
Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming
I have some amazing interviews lined up in the coming weeks that I can’t wait to share:
Scott Young: Since 2006, Scott’s been teaching others how to quickly master hard skills, accelerate their careers, be more productive, and live better lives. We spoke about his mission, his 2019 book UltraLearning (WSJ bestseller), and why learning needs to be fun to succeed.
Katie Kent: Co-Founder of Placement - everyone's talent agent. Katie is on a mission to unlock job opportunities in America.
Riel Miller: The Head of Futures Literacy at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
I can’t wait to share all of these conversations with you and get back to publishing on a more regular schedule starting February 1st. In the meantime, I’d encourage you to check out my Twitter feed (a big thanks to those who’ve joined recently via Twitter). My goal is to share more there this year, including threads on interesting subjects in and around Lifelong Learning, Skills, AdultEd, and the Future of Work.
Twitter threads:
I'm so grateful for all of your support and readership to date. Thanks for coming along for the ride. Can’t wait for what’s in store for 2021!
Welcome back. I feel your pain on not being able to do the hobbies and physical activities that hit that release valve. It'll be hard, but you'll be back to 100% (as long as you do your PT). Health is definitely important.
I used to work in digital healthcare because similar to you, I knew that our system was fucked up. Anytime I had to have any procedure done, it was never clear how much it would ACTUALLY cost me. It was "covered" or "uncovered" and then you'd get sent a paper bill (even though you explicitly requested digital) explaining how your benefits covered a certain proportion, based on diagnostic code and need. Somehow at the end of it all, you'd owe only the copay or in other situations, hundreds of dollars.
Unfortunately, most of my work in digital healthcare was working within the confines of the existing system. I eventually left because I grew frustrated with how many bells and whistles had to be rung and re-rung in order to turn the huge, fat ship of healthcare. Maybe I went about it wrong.
There are many levels to it. The explanation of benefits is really low-level, and probably more a symptom of the greater problem. It's also intertwined with our work culture. Health insurance is tied to gainful employment. Costs skyrockets unless you have insurance. I have fellow Canadian friends who don't have to worry about this kind of stuff. Same with my parents, when they're in Taiwan. They can book an appointment, get an MRI, get a healthcare plan of action, and medications if necessary, start to finish, in 1-2 hours. That would take almost half a year here with PCP referrals, wait times, billing times, diagnostic necessary, etc.
Anyway, rant over you probably just went through the same thing. Glad you're back, happy to dig into my network to see if there are people you might want to talk to.
Welcome back David! Looking forward to hearing more about your journey ahead.