In my experience as a physician career coach, no physician who’s made a career change has not been scared to do so.

And every single physician who felt the fear, summoned courage and “did it scared”.

Here are 5 antidotes to fear for your career transition toolbox.

1. Get clear on what you want and why you want it.

An inspiring vision for your life and career can pull you through any fear.

One physician I know felt so strongly about the new life she wanted to create that she taped a hand-drawn picture of that life on her computer monitor. Every time she felt afraid, she looked at that picture.

A compelling why is a powerful antidote to fear.

2. Get clear on the potential consequences of staying where you are.

As human beings, we are often more motivated to move away from pain than towards pleasure.

Where might you be 5 years from now if you don’t make the change?

Make a list of the cost (immediate negative effects) and consequences (medium to long term impact) of your current unhappiness in your job.

(As you make this list, consider all the areas of your life, such as physical health, mental health, relationships, finances).

Let the pain of not doing anything about your situation give you fuel to move through the fear.

3. Recognize fear as a protection mechanism designed to keep you safe.

Fear is a normal human emotion and an intelligent design. It’s the reason we’re alive to choose our careers!

Accept it, allow it, thank it.

Sometimes, you must heed the warning.

Other times, its intel is outdated.

Your wisdom discriminates between a life-saving warning and an old script no longer needed.

4. Anticipate worse case scenarios and solve for them.

What are you afraid will happen if you make the change?

Write down all the worse-case scenarios you can think of.

Then write down what you will do if those worse-case scenarios happen.

You’ll find your resourcefulness and creativity will help you manage even the worst outcomes.

5. Notice how you talk about fear.

Notice the difference between,

“I am scared” vs “Scared feelings are coming up in me”.

“I feel fear” vs “A feeling of fear is here”.

“I am afraid” vs “I’m experiencing fear”.

Fear is not who you are. It’s a feeling, a sensation of energy flowing through.

Last words:

Fear follows anticipated change like the cart follows the horse.

A compelling why, vision, and strategy form the foundation of successful career change and are useful antidotes to fear.

Courage means feeling fear and doing it anyway.

For a deep dive into core personality fears and how to work them, read this.