Do you have views and thoughts about yourself that you think are the absolute truth? Yet, when asked for evidence of their truth, you can usually appreciate they’re not really true.

And there is the challenge. On a normal day, these beliefs run around the subconscious mind unchallenged and might be holding you back from doing what you really want to do.

One way to test the truth of your (limiting) self-beliefs is to ask this question:

“What did I believe about myself 5 years ago that I now know is not true?”

I’ll go first.

In 2018, before I left clinical medicine, I believed:

Leaving a “noble” clinical career = failure.

My skill set was limited (I told my career coach, “I’m a one-trick pony!”).

My self-esteem depended on being a high achieving medical subspecialist.

My identity stopped at Dr. Karen Barnard.

I needed an additional degree to change careers.

I was too old to change careers.

Leaving clinical medicine meant abandoning my patients and colleagues.

In 2023, after 3.5 years of owning my coaching business, I’ve learned:

Leaving clinical medicine = honoring the shift in my values and priorities.

My skill set is wide, deep, and growing. I’m not a static entity.

My self-esteem comes from within.

I will always be a doctor AND my identity is evolving.

Coaching courses, experiential learning, and relationships with mentor coaches are guiding me to mastery.

I launched my coaching business at the perfect age (for me).

Leaving clinical medicine was the best thing I could have done for myself and the 100+ physicians I’ve had the privilege of calling clients.

Now it’s your turn.

What did you believe about yourself 5 years ago that you now know is not true?

If you’re considering leaving clinical medicine, what current beliefs might be holding you back?

What new beliefs will help you get where you want to go?