We often associate our calling with our career. That’s what I did from the very moment I made that decision to become a doctor. That’s all I focused on. I studied for it. I invested time and money into it. Like many doctors, my identity was intimately woven in what it means to be a doctor. It’s who I became to the exclusion of everything else.
From the outside looking in, I was successful. But on the inside success wasn’t feeling very good. I felt let down. I was disillusioned. I couldn’t believe that I had spent almost ten years to get to that place only to be unfulfilled and emotionally exhausted working long hours in the high acuity setting of the neonatal ICU.
I figured out that to experience my true success, I had to do three things.
- Expand my focus
- Own my value
- Step boldly into my calling
I learned that becoming a doctor, or any career choice, is actually the vehicle by which my calling is expressed. It is part of who I am, but not all of who I am. When we don’t make this distinction, we get so attached to becoming a doctor and seeking perfection in the journey that we neglect the rest of our being. We ignore or push aside our innate gifts and talents that if we would only embrace them, they would make even more room for us. Instead, we continue to struggle to try to fit into someone else’s perception of what our career should look like, and as a result, we feel out of balance, frustrated, and stressed out.
Once I learned to step boldly into my calling, I felt relief. Once I understood that I was called to medicine because I wanted to make a positive impact on people’s lives, the cloud lifted. There was more flow in my life. Everything became a learning experience, some hard and some easy. I was able to see that each of the challenges, the problems that I encountered in medicine, were actually the nudges pushing me into my next level, where solutions are found.
The lesson is that my true calling, my highest purpose is to be of service in medicine. It shows up in my role as a clinician. It shows up in my role as a life coach supporting families in NICU support groups. It shows up when I merge medicine and life coaching as I mentor, teach, and coach physicians and medical professions on their journey.
What is your calling? How are you being called to serve in medicine that transcends the outer trappings of being a doctor and speaks to your heart and soul?
Taken from KevinMD
