I made several mistakes early in my career transition.

I hesitate to label them as mistakes because I learned so much from them and it all worked out in the end! But they prolonged the transition and made it more challenging than it needed to be.  

I want to share some of them with you so you can have a smoother and more efficient transition.

 1. Not trusting my emotions and symptoms.

In the years before I finally quit medicine, I had physical and emotional clues that something was up. But I wasn’t ready to listen. You could say I was in denial.

I told myself, “There’s something wrong with me. My colleagues are coping just fine with the same situation that’s dragging me down. I must be the loser.”

My solution was to beat myself up and keep pushing. But the signals became louder until I recognized they were trying to tell me something! My current work situation no longer fit me.

How you might avoid this mistake:

• Recognize your emotions and physical symptoms are intelligent signals from your heart and body. Don’t allow the thinking mind to override their message.
• Pay attention and take this information seriously. This does not mean you follow your emotions at every turn. It means investigate and figure out what’s underneath them. As Susan David, PhD says, “Emotions are data, not directives.”

2. Trying to figure it out alone.

I thought I was the only one. I felt shame about the change in my attitude to clinical work. This resulted in a significant delay in taking purposeful steps to change.

After I started working with a therapist and a coach, I made significant progress to defining what I want to do next.

How you might avoid this mistake:

• Don’t do this alone!
• Find a community of like-minded physicians (for example, non-clinical career Facebook groups and conferences).
• A career coach is a significant investment, but don’t let that stop you from working with someone who can help you move forward.

3. Looking for the answer outside of myself.

I’ll never forget the moment my therapist said to me, “you’ve made good efforts exploring all the options out there. Now it’s time to look inside.”

After I figured out what she meant by “look inside,” I felt trepidation. This was an uncomfortable and daunting task, but ultimately game-changing. I saw how my values and priorities had changed. What I wanted no longer aligned with what was expected of me.

As Kobe Bryant said, “The reality is we’re paying attention to so many things going on around us, we don’t take the time to observe what’s going on inside of ourselves.”

How you might avoid this mistake:

• Take time to look inside and explore who you are and what you love. Explore your personality gifts and shadow sides of your personality to understand who you want to become and what’s holding you back.
• This does not mean you only look inside. It’s about the balance of knowing the options AND looking inside yourself.

4. Thinking I needed more information to get clarity.

During medical training, there tends to be an (appropriate) focus on cognitive skills. I trained and practiced in the highly cognitive specialty of endocrinology. My thinking muscles are overdeveloped!  So, at the career transition, I made lists, pros-cons tables, analyzed the options, but stayed stuck.

The truth was I couldn’t think my way to the next best career. I had to experience and explore options.  

How you might avoid this mistake:

• Explore some options by having an experience of the career that interests you, AKA the “mini-career experiment.”
• Ideas for mini-career experiments.

5. Believing outdated scripts about who I am.

I ran outdated scripts in my head about my abilities, “I am risk-averse,” “I don’t do well with uncertainty,” “I’m too old,” “I’m not business-minded.”

These beliefs held me back from starting my own business longer than needed. I have now proved these beliefs to be incorrect. I’m not saying it was easy- I still prefer safe, secure, and predictable. But now I see these beliefs and challenge them. The thoughts are still there. The difference is I don’t believe them anymore.

How you might avoid this mistake:

• Challenge your own thoughts about who you are and what you’re capable of.
• Don’t reject yourself first!

Final words:

A career transition out of clinical medicine is challenging. It’s also an incredible growth experience. Even if you make mistakes, like I did, you will figure it out!  

Ask yourself, Do I stay where I am to avoid a mistake or move forward and grow more than I can imagine?