--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don’t let yourself be. Find something new…" description: "\"Don’t let yourself be. Find something new to try, something to change. Count how often it succeeds and how often it doesn’t. Write about it. Ask a pati..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/atul-gawande-1871_colleagues_don-t-let-yourself-be-find-something-new_8156.png" --- # Don’t let yourself be. Find something new to try… ![“Don’t let yourself be. Find something new to try, something to change. Count how often it succeeds and how often it doesn’t. Write about it. Ask a patient or a colleague what they think about it. See if you can keep the conversation going.” quote by Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/atul-gawande-1871_colleagues_don-t-let-yourself-be-find-something-new_8156.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/atul-gawande-1871_colleagues_don-t-let-yourself-be-find-something-new_8156.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/atul-gawande-1871_colleagues_don-t-let-yourself-be-find-something-new_8156.png) > “Don’t let yourself be. Find something new to try, something to change. Count how often it succeeds and how often it doesn’t. Write about it. Ask a patient or a colleague what they think about it. See if you can keep the conversation going.” [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encourages proactive experimentation, tracking outcomes, and reflective dialogue to foster continuous improvement. **In simple terms:** Promotes iterative learning through trial and feedback. Key Takeaway Iterate, measure, discuss, improve. Themes growth self-improvement reflection feedback learning Mood curiosity determination Type advice motivational When to use this quote - personal development - team projects - research initiatives - skill acquisition - process optimization Key Concepts experimentation self-assessment communication Practical Applications - journaling progress - peer review sessions Questions to Reflect On - What patterns emerge from your successes and failures? - How can you sustain constructive conversations about your experiments? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Colleagues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colleagues/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Don't ask why the patient is the way he is, ask for what he would change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-h-erickson/don-t-ask-why-the-patient-is-the-way-he-is-ask-for-what-he-would/) [Milton H. Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-h-erickson/) > [“It's amazing how many people think a conversation is little more than reading their resume aloud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/it-s-amazing-how-many-people-think-a-conversation-is-little-more-than/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [For those saying they live in fear, again, I think they should be part of the conversation. They should reach out and try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellyanne-conway/for-those-saying-they-live-in-fear-again-i-think-they-should-be-part/) [Kellyanne Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellyanne-conway/) > [I think the conversation about sex is one that never grows old and is one that people are always drawn to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-yorke/i-think-the-conversation-about-sex-is-one-that-never-grows-old-and-is/) [Helene Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-yorke/) > [YOU Find Someone YOU Love, Next Thing YOU Try To Change Them Rather Than Focusing On The Good Things That Made YOU Fall In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabelo-lan-mashabela/you-find-someone-you-love-next-thing-you-try-to-change-them-rather/) [Sabelo Lan Mashabela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabelo-lan-mashabela/) > [If I'm weird to you, dont try to change me cause I was just fine before you and I will be fine without you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-m-weird-to-you-dont-try-to-change-me-cause-i-was-just-fine/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't try and change things for other people. Don't try and be persuaded by producers and people to change your vision. If you stick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-ramsay/don-t-try-and-change-things-for-other-people-don-t-try-and-be/) [Lynne Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-ramsay/) > [One thing about me I always act myself. I don't change for anyone. I hate when people try to change other people. Let em…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-thing-about-me-i-always-act-myself-i-don-t-change-for-anyone-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't try to change me.. If u don't like something then keep it moving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-try-to-change-me-if-u-don-t-like-something-then-keep-it-moving/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Your heart will try to change your mind but your mind knows what's best for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/your-heart-will-try-to-change-your-mind-but-your-mind-knows-what-s/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Don't try to change people. It won't work, and they will end up resenting you. Only God can change people!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/don-t-try-to-change-people-it-won-t-work-and-they-will-end-up/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Companions, in misery and worse, that is what we all are, and to try to change this substantially avails us nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-liszt/companions-in-misery-and-worse-that-is-what-we-all-are-and-to-try-to/) [Franz Liszt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-liszt/) > [“you are you for a reason don't try to change”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-phifer/you-are-you-for-a-reason-don-t-try-to-change/) Anna Phifer > [Try to change what you can and accept all the things that you cannot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-cook/try-to-change-what-you-can-and-accept-all-the-things-that-you-cannot/) [Stephanie Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-cook/) > [“We don't try to change people. It doesn't work well... We accept people the way they are”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bevelin/we-don-t-try-to-change-people-it-doesn-t-work-well-we-accept-people/) [Peter Bevelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bevelin/) ## More by Atul Gawande > [“Wilson spent several days camped out in one government office after another until she had secured an exemption. Unbelievably, she and her husband cleared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/wilson-spent-several-days-camped-out-in-one-government-office-after/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [What is needed, however, isn't just that people working together be nice to each other. It is discipline. Discipline is hard--harder than trustworthiness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/what-is-needed-however-isn-t-just-that-people-working-together-be/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“8. Chapter 4 describes the birth of the assisted-living facility concept (Park Place), designed by Keren Wilson to provide her disabled mother, Jessie, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/8-chapter-4-describes-the-birth-of-the-assisted-living-facility/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [When we lived in a society where we had large families that lived together, especially in agricultural societies like my grandfather and father grew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/when-we-lived-in-a-society-where-we-had-large-families-that-lived/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [My biggest fear, that 27 percent of Americans under 65 have an existing health condition that, without the protections of the Affordable Care Act,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/my-biggest-fear-that-27-percent-of-americans-under-65-have-an/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“..how we seek to spend our time may depend on how much time we perceive ourselves to have. When you are young and healthy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/how-we-seek-to-spend-our-time-may-depend-on-how-much-time-we-perceive/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“I cannot pretend he escaped unscathed. The extended period of low blood pressure damaged an optic nerve and left him essentially blind in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/i-cannot-pretend-he-escaped-unscathed-the-extended-period-of-low/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [The battle of being mortal is the battle to maintain the integrity of one’s life,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/the-battle-of-being-mortal-is-the-battle-to-maintain-the-integrity-of/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“an average of $94,000 during the last year of life with a metastatic breast cancer. Our medical system is excellent at trying to stave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/an-average-of-94-000-during-the-last-year-of-life-with-a-metastatic/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“we need practice to get good at what we do. There is one difference in medicine, though: it is people we practice upon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/we-need-practice-to-get-good-at-what-we-do-there-is-one-difference-in/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [People underestimate the importance of dilligence as a virtue. No doubt it has something to do with how supremely mundane it seems. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/people-underestimate-the-importance-of-dilligence-as-a-virtue-no/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [Developing a skill is painful, though. It is difficult. And that's part of the satisfaction. You will only find meaning in what you struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/developing-a-skill-is-painful-though-it-is-difficult-and-that-s-part/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [Just look at the list of who the lowest-paid people are. Pediatricians are at the bottom. You would also look at internists. You would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/just-look-at-the-list-of-who-the-lowest-paid-people-are-pediatricians/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“When Felix came to this crossroads, the orthopedic shoe to drop wasn’t his. It was Bella’s. Year by year, I witnessed the progression in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/when-felix-came-to-this-crossroads-the-orthopedic-shoe-to-drop-wasn-t/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“The problem with medicine and the institutions it has spawned for the care of the sick and the old is not that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/the-problem-with-medicine-and-the-institutions-it-has-spawned-for-the/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) [Explore all 200 Atul Gawande quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) ## More Colleagues quotes > [I've never been motivated by money. 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She and her colleagues take care of children left behind by circumstances beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/my-sister-in-law-works-for-a-group-that-supports-orphanages-in-cairo/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [“The whole organization seemed to be in free fall, indulging in a collective fantasy in which experienced colleagues refused to admit that their every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-whole-organization-seemed-to-be-in-free-fall-indulging-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is a danger of Scottish politics being between two sets of dinosaurs... the Nationalists who can't accept they were rejected by the people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-lamont/there-is-a-danger-of-scottish-politics-being-between-two-sets-of/) [Johann Lamont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-lamont/) > [We must continue our fight to ensure that Federal, State, and local authorities have the resources and support necessary to combat this growing epidemic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-lewis/we-must-continue-our-fight-to-ensure-that-federal-state-and-local/) [Ron Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-lewis/) > [The questions of traditional and redefined marriage are highly emotional and a difficult and sensitive topic. 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