TAR

Last weekend, we went to see the movie Tar with Cate Blanchett. The movie is about the fall from grace of a famous female conductor named Lydia Tar. Cate Blanchett did an amazing job portraying this type-A, hard-charging, overachiever, which probably does not come as much surprise!

I will not spoil the ending by providing a plot synopsis, but what I found most captivating about the film was just how tortured the main character was and how much of a toll getting to the top of her profession and trying to stay there took on her life. I found myself empathizing with the character because I, too, often feel as though it is very challenging to juggle all the balls I have in the air.

In medicine, there used to be the concept of the "triple threat" physician-scientist -someone who was a great doctor, researcher, and teacher. That mission seems quite achievable by today's standards, which are much more challenging. Now, one is expected to be a sextuple threat - with excellence in all of those aforementioned areas in addition to administration, parenthood, and marriage.

Just like in the movie, something has to give, and we cannot excel in all those areas at once. Alternatively, one can get off the treadmill and just focus on the things that are doable with the time one has and that bring joy to one's life. I was reminded of this lesson by Tar and will try to use those guiding principles to live a better life moving forward. May life not imitate art, in this instance.