Expect Bumpy

And it will be less bumpy.

I resigned from my long-time job as a pediatrician four years ago this month. I had worked there for over 21 years.

I loved being a pediatrician. I thrived as a physician leader. I was passionate about physician wellness, supporting my colleagues, and changing the culture of medicine.

And I was ready for something new.

It may look from the outside like it was smooth sailing. On the inside, it has been a BUMPY ride.

All big decisions feel bumpy. Even if you know deep within it is a great “decision” and they turn out amazing.

When decisions involve a career pivot in medicine they are especially bumpy. You didn’t get into medicine by accident. Everyone who becomes a physician is committed to a mission. We were taught to be saviors and told stories that we are” needed.” That its our responsibility and that we will be letting others down if we make a change.

By not making a change when we want to, we are letting ourselves down. It’s also our responsibility to bring to the world things no one else can. What will you and others miss out on if you don't step into your uniqueness and passion?

Feeling conflicted is expected. Doubt, conflict, fear, and anxiety, of course arise. When you understand this and expect it - it’s less bumpy.

Brains are wired to resist change. Brains almost always offer the thought that change might be dangerous or turn out badly.

It’s human to second guess or wonder what might have happened if you made a different choice.

This happens even when change leads you to aligned work that brings you joy.

The good news —-the bumps get less and less over time. The road smooths out with use.

Your brain gets used to what you do now.

Change in my case involves practicing doing “new” all the time.

I worked in the same institution for 22 years. While we often talked about change in medicine it was not ever to the same degree as pivoting careers and starting a business.

What you practice grows.

When you practice change, transitions, and navigating new, “new” becomes a familiar “paved” road. I have been practicing “new” for four years now. New, different, and innovative has become my new normal. It is no longer bumpy.

I know first-hand from 1:1 coaching and Transition Well that for most of you change and uncertainty are uncomfortable. They evoke fear and bumps. We were trained to think that uncomfortable, uncertainty and doing things differently can be “dangerous” in medicine.

Bumpy yes. Dangerous no.

Bumpy dirt roads very often led to amazing places.