Do I Really Need To Do That… Part II

Leadership

A few years ago, I received a call from a young gal who was about to graduate high school. It seems she had been accepted to Vanderbilt University and was about to set out on a path to study Veterinary Medicine.

Just one problem… she had no desire to become a Veterinarian.

Huh?

That’s right… yet virtually her entire family was planning a huge Bon Voyage party to launch her into the rest of her life as Doctor Daughter.

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Interestingly enough, the night before she called I had received a message from her mother, who had asked if I’d be willing to speak with her daughter. In fact it was the mom who first informed me that the girl was having second thoughts about her path.

“This is really a problem… everyone’s planning on this.”

Everyone, apparently, except the one who would need to live it.

So how did “everyone” get the idea that this young person was to become a Veterinarian, you ask? Was it a family tradition or legacy? Was her mother or father also a Veterinarian? Was she to follow in the footsteps of a favorite family member or mentor?

Well, no.

She was to become a Veterinarian because twelve years earlier, while petting a kitten, she said she wanted to be a Vet.

Hmm…

I asked the mother if it were possible that the family had built this dream around a false assumption. That at six years old, many children see being a Veterinarian as a sort of fun way to spend LOTS of time petting kittens and puppies… but not necessarily desiring to make a career out of spaying, neutering, or otherwise operating on them.

More importantly, while the family was looking in a different direction, this girl had developed a ton of really outstanding dreams of her own… and a desire to make them real.

I suggested she follow them… and she has.

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So what happens when goals change? And what are the greatest obstacles to making them a reality?

We’ll look at a few of them next time.

 

Questions:

When is the last time one of your major goals or life purposes changed? What precipitated the change, and what did you do about it? What do you believe are the most difficult challenges to overcome when considering options that affect your career or life path?

 

I look forward to speaking with you soon.

 

Photo Credit:

Bruce Berrien