Do you know what you want your future to look like — and how to get there? Dreams and major goals can often feel out of reach, and some people aren’t even sure what they’re searching for.
Whether you come into coaching with a clear idea of what you want from life, or you’re feeling stuck and uncertain, we’ll work together to identify your aspirations and set goals that will help you work toward your vision of a fulfilling life.
Exploring Your Aspirations in Coaching
Many physicians have a fixed idea of what their career looks like: We’ve achieved our goal of becoming a physician and this is what we are meant to do, so why would we want to change where we’re at? But this mindset can be very limiting.
If you’re feeling dissatisfied with your career, coaching can help you unlock new paths and set goals so you can build a rewarding professional life.
I usually open up the conversation with “What’s keeping you up at night?” and “Where do you want to see yourself in five or ten years?” These kinds of questions often reveal interests that help us identify your ambitions. We might also explore what you don’t want, because that can be as helpful as knowing what you do want.
We’ll also often do some visualization exercises, including one that has the client imagining they’re a fly on the wall at their own retirement party: How are people talking about your career and life? What have you accomplished? What are they most proud of you for having achieved? For physicians, this frequently falls into the following areas: they’ve made some sort of discovery or innovation, they were appreciated for teaching and mentoring the next generation of doctors, or their patients have come to thank them for exceptional care.
Certain themes might surface during this exercise which may highlight the kind of work you are most suited to or which gives you the most satisfaction.
Setting Goals to Make a Dream Your Reality
Our dreams and wishes can often feel out of reach, but my job as a coach is to help you identify a series of goals, tasks and habits to help you live the life you’re dreaming of.
Once you know what you want to do, we’ll start off by identifying the skills you already have that will help you make it happen. For example, if you want to explore a career in medical education, your skills in effective communication and mentorship are going to be very useful. Or if you want to move into research, your experience with teamwork, organization, critical thinking and data analysis will be key.
The next step is building a plan, with a series of achievable goals, to help you reach your aspirations. Say you dream of being a professional artist as well as a physician. Your goals might include taking courses or workshops to improve your artistic skills, building a website and social media presence, having your artwork exhibited and selling pieces of your art. These progressive goals will help you move toward the life and career you desire.
Breaking Through Barriers
The biggest barrier that keeps people from reaching for their dreams is the fact that it’s a departure from what they’ve always known. The ability to think beyond being a doctor who cares for patients is key.
I’m a great example of this. Four years ago, I wouldn’t have imagined I’d be a coach. I believed being a physician meant seeing patients every workday, and I would have felt guilty doing anything else. Now, coaching is 20% of my work week, my administrative role is 40%, and I see patients 40% of the time. I’ve never felt more fulfilled as a physician.
Financial concerns may also be an issue. If you want to be a clinical director or set up a medical school program, you may need to take on some additional teaching and administrative responsibilities — which rarely come with an income bump — as a stepping stone.
Time is another issue people bring up, but this is a bit of a fallacy. If you really love something and want to do it, you’ll find a way to make it happen. It might mean cutting back some clinical hours, or building new routines to carve out an hour or two in the day for your passion, but there’s always an option.
Building a Support System
Surrounding yourself with the right people is essential to achieving your goals so you can live the life you dream of. It’s important to confide in people who will encourage and support your goals and career plans — the naysayers will only hold you back.
If you’re embarking on a dual career with a new venture outside the medical field, you’ll want your support system to include positive people from both professions. You may feel like striving for something new at this point in your career is taboo, or you may feel a bit guilty for doing something that takes you away from helping patients. Mentors and peers are important for encouraging you through these moments of discomfort.
As you start on this new journey, you’re bound to encounter challenges. But with a strong team around you, it will be easier to navigate the twists and turns, helping you knock down one goal after another until you’re living the life you once only dreamed of.