Don't Tell Yourself No
Redefining Success and Finding Purpose Beyond Career Titles
Don't Tell Yourself No
Twenty-one years ago, I began my career in healthcare as a medical assistant. I didn't have a 20-year plan mapped out or know exactly where my career would take me. I was simply starting somewhere, learning as much as I could, and figuring out where I fit.
Since then, my career has taken me from clinical care to billing and coding, practice management, and eventually corporate operations support for a large medical group. Each role has challenged me, introduced me to incredible people, and taught me something new about healthcare, leadership, and myself.
And now, at 40, I'm a college student pursuing an undergraduate degree in psychology and thinking about what I want the next chapter of my life and career to look like.
If you had told the young medical assistant I was in 2004 that this would be my path, I'm not sure I would have believed you.
But perhaps that is one of the most important things my career has taught me: you don't have to know exactly where you're going to keep moving forward.
When Success Starts to Mean Something Different
Early in our careers, success can be easy to measure. We think about promotions, titles, increased responsibility, and reaching the next level. There is nothing wrong with wanting those things. I have worked hard for every opportunity I've been given, and I'm proud of the career I've built.
But I've also learned that our definition of success can change as we do.
The things that motivate us at 20 may not be the same things that fulfill us at 30 or 40. Life experiences change us. The people we meet change us. Sometimes loss changes us.
For me, one of those defining experiences was losing my dad.
His passing was heartbreaking, but it was also eye-opening in a way I didn't expect. It made me think differently about time, the goals we set, and what I wanted my life to mean.
Losing my dad didn't give me all the answers. It made me start asking different questions.
Going back to school had been an important personal goal of mine, and his passing gave me the push I needed to stop waiting for the "right time" to pursue it. Earning my degree is something I want to accomplish for myself, but along the way, that goal has grown into something more.
I've started asking where my education, healthcare experience, and life experiences might take me-and how I can use them to help other people.
Think With Your Heart
Some of the best career advice I've received is also some of the simplest: think with your heart.
Of course, career decisions require practical thinking. We have families, financial responsibilities, schedules, and countless other things to consider. Our heads absolutely need to be part of the conversation.
But I believe our hearts should have a voice, too.
What matters to you? What kind of work makes you feel that you contributed something meaningful? What problems do you care about? Who do you feel drawn to helping?
For me, those questions have increasingly led back to people.
Healthcare has allowed me to serve others in many ways throughout my career. Even in an operational role, I know the work happening behind the scenes ultimately supports the employees, patients, and families our organization serves.
But over time, I've felt myself drawn toward serving people more directly. That is part of what led me to psychology and why I'm interested in exploring areas such as case management and nonprofit work, particularly supporting individuals and families affected by homelessness, addiction, grief, and other difficult seasons of life.
I don't know exactly what position will eventually have my name on it.
And I'm becoming more comfortable with that.
Changing Direction Isn't Starting Over
There can be a temptation to believe that changing direction means leaving everything behind and starting again.
I see it differently.
My 21 years in healthcare don't disappear if I eventually move into a different type of role. I get to bring those years with me.
Every position I've held has taught me something about people, communication, leadership, problem-solving, resilience, and how healthcare works. Those experiences become part of whatever I choose to do next.
Changing direction doesn't mean starting over. Sometimes it means finally understanding how all the pieces fit together.
That realization has given me the freedom to explore what comes next without feeling as though I need to have the entire journey figured out before taking another step.
Don't Tell Yourself No
If there is one thing I especially want younger women entering healthcare-or any industry-to understand, it is this:
Don't tell yourself no before someone else has the opportunity to tell you yes.
We can be incredibly good at creating our own barriers.
I don't have enough experience.
I've never done that before.
Someone else is probably more qualified.
I'm not ready.
What if I fail?
I've learned that you cannot always wait until you feel completely confident before taking the next step. Sometimes confidence comes after you raise your hand, apply for the opportunity, walk into the room, or try something you've never done before.
Be willing to put yourself out there. Ask questions. Learn from people who know more than you do. Take on something that makes you a little uncomfortable. Allow yourself to be a beginner.
You may be surprised by what you are capable of.
Growth Doesn't Always Mean Moving Up
For a long time, I thought career growth meant moving upward.
Now I think it can also mean moving toward something.
Toward purpose.
Toward people.
Toward work that better reflects who you have become.
I am incredibly grateful for the career I have built while also allowing myself to wonder what else might be ahead.
I'm pursuing my psychology degree. I'm exploring opportunities to become more involved in my community. I'm learning about nonprofit work and ways to support individuals and families who need someone in their corner.
I'm doing all of this without knowing exactly where it will lead.
Maybe that is part of the adventure.
Keep Becoming
Twenty-one years into my healthcare career, I certainly don't have everything figured out.
But I no longer think we're supposed to.
We should continue learning, changing, and becoming more aware of what matters to us. We should allow our definition of success to evolve and have enough confidence in ourselves to explore where that evolution might lead.
Your career does not have to follow a straight line to be successful.
The experiences that seem unrelated today may someday become the exact combination of skills, compassion, and perspective you need for the work you are meant to do next.
So, work hard. Stay curious. Be kind. Take the opportunity. Walk into the room even when you're nervous. Don't put limitations on yourself before you've had the chance to discover what you can do.
And when you're deciding where to go next, don't only think about what looks good on paper.
