Happy thanksgiving everyone!

I've noticed that I always gain 5-10 pounds around this time. And what's worse is that my eating habits that I start for the holidays are also hard to break. For tips on how to avoid the thanksgiving-to-christmas weight gain, check out these tips from WebMD. Whip out those tight-fitting pants and/or belt!

Thanks to all those healthcare workers who worked during thanksgiving, and for those who pulled out all the stops for patients who found themselves in the hospital.

by Tony Chen

So, I've been going through sort of a dry spell in terms of blogging. It's probably due to a combination of increasing work demands, studying hard for the CHE certification, taking care of the newborn, and local church board responsibilities.

When I do find a quiet moment, I find it ironic that we live in a culture that celebrates workaholicism. Putting in the hours is a badge of honor. If you see hospital execs that work 80-hour-work weeks, shouldn't we look at that the same way we look at doctors who smoke? Nonetheless, we always hear about those crazy success stories of great people who forgot to sleep or eat. We hear that anyone who's ever achieved anything great had to work HARD for it. How many people did great things working 9am-5pm?

I guess I'm starting to realize that it all depends on my definition of great. I could spend my every waking moment trying to make my health system the world's most innovative, forward-thinking, business-savvy health system in the world. 15-20 years from now, maybe people would mention ENH in the same breathe as Google, Apple, and P&G.

Or, I could continue to do what I do, and do it passionately, but leave it all behind at 5:30PM and enjoy my son's first green drool, first belly laugh, and spend time laughing and chatting with my wife. Maybe I'm getting soft.

Another part of me also thinks that this stage of my career (age 30-40) is really where the trajectory can pick up quickly. If I make "small" smart moves now and just "put in my time" now, it will pay off handsomely in the long run - maybe retiring much earlier or traveling much more or ...

I guess in my newborn-induced semi-coma, forgive me for getting a little pensive and thinking about what really lasts in this life. What are you willing to give your life for?