When I first got into coaching, I was helping people of all careers looking for a more meaningful life by changing their professional endeavors. But once the COVID-19 virus hit, I started to see medical professional after medical professional in my e-mail box or leaving me voice messages. Now, I bet they’re 80% of the messages I get. 

There are certain patterns I also see with those in the medical community that aren’t as prevalent in other white-collar sectors. The biggest one is that they believe once they go down the path of becoming a medical professional, they can’t turn back.

So that’s when my former medical knowledge comes out and I explain that they need to stop listening to that little voice inside of them that says neuroplasticity is an amazing thing, but it doesn’t apply to them.

“Huh?” is their usual response.

It wasn’t that long ago that scientists thought the brain was an organ that took shape in utero, was fleshed-out in our earliest of years, and would occasionally add a sprinkling of adaptive techniques as we entered adulthood. By the time we were at the age someone finally reaches a quality position in the workplace, usually our mid-to-late 30s, the brain was completely done forming. 

That’s 100% wrong.

I’m not going to get too far into the muck of the science on a cellular level, but we now know that the brain is constantly in a state of change. Neurons are constantly making new connections and while most of us still essentially retain who we are, the rewiring we once didn’t understand now reveals that great change is possible. This is neuroplasticity.

It’s what allows a former drug addict to recover from their disease. It’s what allows a previously sedentary person to become an uber-athlete after their double-amputation and it also allows a society that has been inundated with patriarchal beliefs to start to recognize women and minorities are just as capable as anyone else.

Neuroplasticity is a great equalizer if you think about it. I was born and spent the first 18 years of my life in Haiti before immigrating to America and becoming a citizen. I was raised with many stereotypes and customs that were often just tools used by those in power (including parents and teachers) to keep children in line. This was not a country where big dreams were encouraged.

Once I came to America and saw opportunity after opportunity after opportunity, I remember being overwhelmed. I now wonder if that was the neuroplasticity coming to life in my brain like never before. I fear that those who are raised in an environment of options just see it as commonplace. I think if they adapt a one-track mind (“I entered the medical field, I must stay there”) it’s going to lead to an unfulfilling life.

Some artists need new challenges so they move on to other things. Let’s take Dr. Dre for example (since we’re talking about the medical field – lol). He was a hugely successful rapper and producer in the 1990s and 2000s, but then he developed Beats headphones and built a company that he ended up selling for over $1 billion. What if he told himself he could only do music and wasn’t cut out to be a businessperson?

The science is there. You haven’t painted yourself into a corner. You’re capable of change. No excuses. If you’re not happy with the current path you’re on as a medical professional – just like I wasn’t before becoming a coach – drop me a note and let’s figure out if I can help you in your quest to following your calling and live the life you’ve always been meant to live.