Finding Your True North in a Broken System

Wayne Mylin
Dec 9, 2025
2 min read

Staying Grounded When the Work Feels Impossible

Every healthcare professional knows the weight of working in a system that feels stretched, inefficient, or even broken. Endless documentation, staffing shortages, overwhelming caseloads, and layers of bureaucracy can leave you questioning whether you’re making a difference at all.

The truth is, the system is overloaded. And no single practitioner can fix it alone. But you can reclaim clarity, energy, and meaning by focusing on your True North... your values, your purpose, and what lies within your circle of control.

The Reality of Systemic Overload

Short staffing and high patient volumes make it impossible to do everything.
Administrative demands erode time with patients.
Constant pressure to “do more with less” drains morale.
Change is slow, and frontline practitioners bear the brunt of the strain.

Recognizing these realities isn’t a weakness. It’s honesty. The question becomes: How do you navigate the storm without losing yourself?

The Danger of Losing Your Compass

When the system’s demands feel overwhelming, it’s easy to:

Slip into autopilot, doing tasks without meaning.
Burnout from trying to carry more than is possible.
Lose connection to the values that brought you into healthcare in the first place.

That’s when reconnecting to your True North matters most.

Rediscovering Your True North

Your True North is your internal compass: the deeper reasons you chose this work and the values that make it meaningful.

Purpose: What called you into healthcare? Healing? Service? Advocacy?
Values: What matters most to you... compassion, integrity, presence, excellence?
Impact: Where do you see evidence, however small, that your presence makes a difference?

By reconnecting to these anchors, you create steadiness even in a chaotic environment.

What’s Within Your Circle of Control

You can’t fix the whole system, but you can choose how you show up within it:

Focus on the quality of your presence, not just the quantity of tasks completed.
Set realistic expectations for what can be done in each shift.
Practice micro-renewals: deep breaths, brief pauses, small rituals of release.
Build supportive connections with colleagues who understand.
Prioritize self-care outside work to restore energy for the next day.

Practices to Stay Grounded

Start the day with intention: One word or phrase that reminds you of your purpose.
Pause during overwhelm: Breathe and ask, What matters most right now?
End the day with reflection: Name one small way you lived your values.
Regular check-ins: Journal, go for a walk, or meditate to reconnect with your compass.

Final Reflection

The healthcare system may be broken, but you don’t have to be. By returning again and again to your True North, you can sustain compassion and clarity, even when the work feels impossible.

Your compass—not the system—guides your way.