What would you say?

If you had the opportunity to give your younger self advice, what would you say??? Outside of the obvious of buy Apple stock, what would you impart to help from the experience and knowledge you have gained?

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The bigger question is would your younger self listen??? I know when I was just out of college, my parents had both passed away and I was facing a big relationship decision.?? One of my older brothers asked me are you sure??? Because I had the whole world figured out, I dismissed his question and proceeded only to end up in a bad situation about five years later.?? I occasionally wonder what life would have been like had I paid attention to my brother and not made the decision I did.?

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We learn from our mistakes, and invariably, I would have made another big mistake had I heeded his advice.?? We do need to experience pain in our lives to better appreciate the times when we do not have pain.?? It helps us later to avoid repeating bad decisions most of the time.??

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The funny thing about going through our lives is we make millions of decisions and while most are benign, the few that have a greater impact on our day to day often are made without having all the information or an alternative perspective.??? Think about the last time you decided to change your career.? This is a big decision.?? What are the factors driving you to make a change??? The future is not certain, yet you are confident making a change will better your life.?? What if it doesn’t???

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When we speak with clinicians who are looking for a new career we want to know what brought you to the point of wanting to change??? What are you looking for in the next role that is not present in your current role??? What are the three or four things that are most important to you?? Does your family or support group buy into your decision to change?

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We are looking to identify what is driving the person to change.?? Are they looking to change to get out of a “bad situation”??? Are they looking to advance their career???? Our role is to understand the parameters of the clinician’s needs and wants.?? What is negotiable and what is a deal breaker??? Then we take our understanding and see if it aligns with the needs and wants of our clients.?? Most of the time, when we are successful, there is at least a 90% match between the two parties.??? It is important for us to know, as well, that either party can change their minds as far as what is important to them based upon their circumstances in life.

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The best advice I can give is if you are considering a change, have a conversation with experts in the area to which you are seeking to change.??? Gain perspective.?? Know what you are looking for and do not be afraid to ask for help.