You’re the best, thanks!!

Eric, I’m so glad you felt that way too! I thought is was so inspiring AND relatable. So often we think we are different as dentists, but we’re not. Many people in all professions feel similar things to what we feel. I bet if you replaced the words she shared with dental words, you’d never know she had a different career background.

Your post is amazing!!! Can I share your words in my FB group? YOU are inspiring, and I think this would help so many who feel stuck.

Your post is loaded with so many “gems” that are encouraging and empowering, there is no way to comment on all of them. So I will leave them as they are. I’m not sure that I could ever embellish them any better anyway…. so I hope that those who read it will re-read it several times over… just so they don’t miss a single one. And consider each one very carefully.

My reply here is to hopefully provide a few more inspirational perspectives.

I love the fact that Jacque was not “in love” with her karate experience at first… to say the least. It was a “slow awakening”, as she said. But she knew she could not stay in the career where she had been for so many years.

I think a common trap we fall into (in the journey of considering to leave dentistry and begin a new career) is to try to answer the question, “What is your passion?”. To address that honestly, many people have no idea. But…that is totally OK.

My advice is to NOT try to answer that question. Instead, be open to exploring a myriad of possible interests — some high on your list of “things to try” and some at the very bottom. You can still do this while you are practicing dentistry. But it does take time. So I suggest not allowing yourself to be sucked into the distractions that are constantly begging for our attention (social media posts, current events, television shows, etc.) — but instead keep your attention focused on every possibility that will give you the chance to break free from the career you no longer want to be in.

After all, this is your life we are talking about. So many other things are unimportant and can wait.

Eventually, you will discover a path worth exploring. And just as equally, it will discover you. But remember, you are exploring it. It is not necessarily a commitment (at least not yet). You have got to be willing to let go and see where it may lead. Life is way too short to do otherwise.

A few examples…. A good friend was so burned out and unhappy with his job in the finance industry, he eventually began looking at other opportunities. He was open to checking out ALL possibilities. One thing led to another, and he was eventually hired by a company that was opening a new senior assisted living residence. He has been happier than he ever was in his previous career — because he feels like he is making a difference in peoples’ lives, instead of just pushing papers. He took a big pay cut, but was determined to make this new career work, regardless of the salary. He loves what he is doing so much that it doesn’t ever feel like work. And that has recently led him to even more opportunities within the organization, which he is more than happy to welcome.

Another person I know delved into the world of real estate after he was laid off from his position in a company he had worked for since college. He didn’t become a realtor, but instead began renovating distressed properties (by learning from, and working beside, people who had such knowledge and experience). His goal was to transform properties that were practically unlivable into places that were not only “inhabitable”, but desirable and affordable to those who never thought it was possible to own a home.. This career has meant so much more to him than his 25 years in the corporate world. And guess what — he previously had NO experience whatsoever in this field.

And on a more personal note — when I left dentistry nearly 6 years ago (after 34 years in practice) I wasn’t sure what direction I’d be heading. I decided to pursue a lifelong dream of music composition and songwriting — despite the craziness, uncertainty, and often unfair and unpredictable aspects of the music industry. Yet completely out of the blue (because I was willing to “put myself out there” and allow myself to be open to ALL possibilities) I found myself writing music for a (now-former) Congressman’s website… and became good friends with him in the process. And this is coming from someone who has always been the least political person you’d ever want to meet! Who would have ever guessed?! Not me.

You never know when one opportunity will lead to another path, which may be even better than the one you expected that you’d be on.

Your cousin’s entire podcast was great. But in my mind, the absolute most important idea (or “pearl of wisdom”) that I believe people need to remember — and repeat to themselves over and over — is…

“Be open to the possibility of something else working out”.

That says it all. Never let go of that.