Never ever EVER (and not just if it’s the new year, but as a general approach to life) feel that it’s too late.
Too late to retrain and change specialties.
Too late to move to another country.
Too late to be a parent.
Too late to rebuild a relationship.
Too late to end a relationship.
Too late to train for a marathon.
Too late for spicy ramen before bed…
My point is this–medicine does not just train you to be a doctor. You do not have to be doctoring for your whole life with an MD. Medicine is a universal skill, much like speaking, teaching, writing, and sports.
On one end of the spectrum, a mind shaped and educated by medicine may be uniquely positioned to provide great clinical care. That’s one way to view your life.
But what about all of the living that happened while you trained?
What about all of the experiences that shaped you before medical school?
What about all of the experiences you’ve had since becoming a staff doctor?
What about all of the new things your heart wants to try?
Can you see the parts of your life outside, inside, interwoven, and extending from medicine?
I bet you can.
Try to see it.
Do you know what brought me back to medicine?
Stories.
And do you know why stories brought me back to medicine?
Because they reminded me of the human being that needed to be seen and to belong.
There is no perfect path to medicine, through medicine, and in medicine.
You follow your own meandering path.
Disrupt those outdated expectations that tell you “it’s too late” and get out there.
Your future life is waiting.
Question: “where is the myth of the perfect doctor leading you away from the path you yearn to follow?”
