Dooley Noted: 2/13/14
In chiropractic school, I was afraid of what I didn’t know.
Exposed to Active Release Technique (A.R.T.) as a Tri 4 student, I realized I didn’t know my anatomy. One year wasn’t going to cut it.
I became an anatomy tutor. It still didn’t cut it.
Upon graduation, I entered a masters anatomy program. I saw an opportunity and I jumped. But I heard my flack.
“Are you crazy?! Three more years of school?”
“Don’t you want to practice? You won’t for three more years!”
I saw the sacrifice I had to make. Three years more right out of school didn’t seem that long. But I most definitely would have no time to practice chiropractic.
I was true to myself. It wasn’t always a party. I was alone in a lab every night for years. My friends were treating patients and changing lives. I had to do what others were unwilling to do, in order to be the doctor I knew I could become.
Time passed slowly but accumulated quickly. I learned how to not just learn anatomy – but to help others learn how to learn.
My connection with my students and patients are not dissimilar. We are all helping each other learn.
And it’s a blast.
Now, I get to teach AND practice, for two years and counting. I see my classmates now attending seminars I lead instruct. It’s surreal.
Three years was no sacrifice. This career path was set ablaze by three years, spent completely devoted to anatomy.
It pays itself off every day of my life.
If you are putting off learning something, you don’t have to do it.
Things may change. Your practice might change. You might change.
Time doesn’t exist, really. Those three years seem like a blur. And I wouldn’t change a damn thing about my career path. Not one bit.
It got me here, living out a dream I never knew existed. It’s not even work. There’s no clock-punching. It’s consistent fun and constantly challenging.
I feel alive.
That’s not a sacrifice. That’s a journey.
I hope you are on an incredible journey with credible results. If not, you should know it isn’t too late to flip the script.
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley