In the photograph above, my one-and-a-half-year-old cat Roo is “all-in” when it comes to being in this storage drawer. He is fully committed to the experience.
As a physician, I know—physically, mentally, and emotionally—what it means to be all-in on a career. I have studied for weeks on end, read the same textbooks over and over, and worked 100-hour work weeks (dotted with 36-hour shifts). I know what it means to eat, sleep, and breathe medicine.
But is this level of commitment necessary for me to achieve success when changing careers? Is it desirable? Heck, as I get older, is it even possible?
To some extent, yes, but with one major qualification: for me, it is essential to put family first.
Broadly put, this means my definition of success, including career success, includes both to love and to be loved. And in practice? It means that no matter how engrossed I am in a work project, if my wife needs a ride to her equestrian training, or help with a chore, or an errand run, then she comes first. I drop what I am doing, and help her.
In other words, when it comes to my family, I’m all-in.