Find Your Passion and Get Creative
I believe that meaning and purpose come from doing what we are passionate about – where we feel we can make a difference for good, regardless of if we are paid or not. Residency is a good example. Residents don’t work so hard because they get paid well, they work so hard because they are passionate about it.
Your passion can continue to exist and propel you forward – even if you are not in your dream job. This can be true even for the passions that leads to high-profile careers in journalism, wall street, and advanced science and technology. It just might look a little different for a time.
Jill*, the wife of an anesthesiology resident, always loved fitness and wanted to spend more personal time helping others. She became a certified Zumba instructor and taught at the local YMCA. She tells me, “It didn’t pay very well, but I loved it. That’s what really mattered. It wasn’t really about getting paid.” Hollie*, the wife of a 3rd-year internal medicine resident, tells me that she always wanted to pursue a career in dietetics. She felt like her schooling was kind of put on the back burner because of her husband’s medical career. After spending a few years frustrated with that, she because a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach. She now teaches local community classes for free and has a few clients she works with individually each week. “It’s not exactly what I wanted to do, but it’s something I’m passionate about and I’m good at it. I help women feel good about themselves. That’s very rewarding.”
Maybe fitness is more of a necessary evil in your life and you would rather be writing. A good friend of mine is working on her first novel while she is home raising her three children and her husband is finishing residency. In her spare time, she also blogs frequently and works as a freelance editor.
Mike*, a molecular biologist, set aside his aspiring career to stay home and raise his children while his wife became a neurosurgeon. He now teaches homeschooling and private tutoring classes in advanced science and technology. He admits that the career path he envisioned has changed, but he still gets to do many of the same things that he loves and is happy with the current set up.
For me, my passion of strengthening marriages was a huge motivator for me to get creative and figure out how to continue that even during training and while raising a young family. It gives me a sense of purpose now – today. It helps me remember that I have something to contribute that matters today – not just when training is over. Continue Reading
*If I ever share names or information on this site, it is shared with permission or identifying information has changed to protect privacy.
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