I have yet to find a path worth pursuing that does not have some obstacles. I was playing a father daughter tennis tournament in San Diego and I hurt my back and went to see the athletic trainer on site. She was a very sweet and smart Asian woman from the University of San Diego. She had a 3.8 grade point average and you could tell she was a winner. We started talking about her career and she shared that she loves to work with athletes so she wanted to be a trainer. I asked what she really wanted to do and her eyes lit up as she said, “a doctor.” I asked what was holding her back from pursuing her dream and she said money. What I know for sure is that any path this girl takes will have obstacles. This is not to down play real financial obstacles but the point is choosing a path that you think is “easy” does not necessarily have fewer obstacles. It just has different obstacles. So whether you choose to become an athletic trainer, physical therapist, nurse or doctor you will have obstacles the entire journey.
I share this story because we all have dreams and often we talk ourselves out of something because there is a big ugly obstacle standing in your way. What gets you over obstacles is having clarity and pursuing a goal that is meaningful to you. Obstacles seem scarier than they really are. One helpful rule of thumb is to think about what you really want to achieve and then figure out a way to deal with the obstacles. If you focus on the obstacles first you will have a hard time starting anything. Give yourself a chance and pursue what you really want. You’re closer than you think.
If you’re wondering, my dad and I made it to the semi-finals of the tournament!
Thanks for reading.
Alissa
About Alissa
Alissa Finerman is an Executive Coach and Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, speaker and author of Living in YOUR Top 1%. She works with managers, C-suite executives and teams to leverage strengths, shift beliefs and achieve meaningful goals. Alissa has an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. She has worked with Ross Stores, Petco, BNP Paribas, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Brookfield Property Partners, Neutrogena, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Dress for Success. To learn more about coaching with Alissa, please visit her website and follow her on Facebook
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