Hitting a roadblock in your life and career? Don’t get frustrated. Use the resources that are readily available to you.

Not sure what they are? Think about it. You have had access to them all the time.

The moment you decided to become a doctor, you became unstoppable.  You may have followed the traditional path and went from college into medical school and then residency.  Maybe your path took a few turns before medical school. Maybe you went by way of a post-bac program or even a previous career.

Whatever the path, each step led to a career in medicine.  Now you discover that each day is another crossroad, and you are looking for the signs to determine which road to take.

There are strategies that you have tried, tested, and proven to yourself to lead to success. They are your foundation.  They have gotten you to this point in your medical career. Whether it’s navigating your day on the floor or in the unit or making the right next career move, reaching your next level means honing those skills and adding new ones.

It may mean learning how to work more effectively as part of a patient care team. Maybe it is learning how to delegate the right task to the professional with the skillset to match. Maybe it is learning how to use feedback productively so that you are moving in the right direction instead of becoming defensive.

Looking back over my 20+ years in medicine, I did not know then that one day, my career would include coaching and supporting doctors to live their best lives and careers.  I didn’t start out interested in neonatal medicine. There were many peaks and valleys along the way. The bumps in the road were there to teach me the things about myself that I was resistant to learn.  The evolution and direction of my career came from the myriad of experiences that shaped me and showed me what I was passionate about and where I could make a positive impact in medicine. Nothing was wasted.

The next level of success in your life and career success is hidden in the experiences, the challenges, and the triumphs that you are living through right now. It’s in the ones that you are fighting with, trying to avoid, and are struggling through.

Where there is a struggle, there is something valuable to learn.  Often we focus on the wrong thing. We focus on the pain point or the place where we are left to do all the work, or it doesn’t work out.  Learn to go beyond the pain point to where the lesson resides.  It is not easy to do on your own.  Having a coach or mentor to guide you helps to shift perspective and opens the door for learning and living to begin.

Stephanie Wellington is a physician, certified professional coach, and founder of Nurturing MDs, dedicated to guiding physicians from stress and overwhelm to ease and flow in the demanding medical field. She empowers clinicians to infuse new energy into their careers and reconnect with their identities beyond the stethoscope. She can also be reached on Facebook and LinkedIn.

She is a speaker, author, and recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award. If stress and overwhelm are part of your practice, get started with the free guide: “15 Ways to Infuse New Energy.”

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