There aren’t many things I’d stand on my soapbox and preach, but if there’s one thing I would scream at the top of my lungs, it’s this: YOU’RE ALLOWED TO CHANGE YOUR MIND.
And I mean entirely—about anything, in any circumstance.
If something no longer serves you or no longer gives you the feeling it once did, it’s okay to walk away. It’s okay to change your mind, even if it’s something you held close to your identity for years.
I wanted to be a doctor for as long as I could remember. By twenty-two, I had taken the MCAT and earned a degree in microbiology. My entire life had been built around medical school and becoming a physician. Then I worked in a hospital for one year, and everything I thought I wanted disappeared.
I hated it.
It brought me no joy.
I dreaded the idea of spending years in school just to work in a fucking LED-lit building full of sick people.
But I was terrified to stray from the path I had chosen—the one I had worked toward for so long. I was scared of not living up to the person I promised I would always be. It felt like breaking my childhood heart. And, if I’m honest, I was scared of what everyone else would think. Would they think I failed?
It took me a year to realize the choice was simple: spend the rest of my life miserable in a career I didn’t love, or be uncomfortable for a while and figure out who I actually wanted to be. I chose discomfort. I thank God every day that I did.
I feel the same way about friendships. Friends you once swore would be in your life forever can suddenly feel like they’re holding you back from growing. I’ve walked away from friendships. I’ve burned bridges I can never cross again—and I don’t regret it. I didn’t like who I was around them anymore, and I changed my mind about how much they truly meant to me.
I think the place I change my mind most is in how I judge people. I’ve made quick judgments my whole life, and my mouth has gotten the best of me more times than I can count. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been wrong. People I once thought I wouldn’t like have surprised me. I’ve grown fond of people I never expected to—and maybe that’s a lesson I’m still learning.
I think the whole point of life is change. That’s what growth is. Whether it’s good or bad isn’t always clear in the moment, but you usually learn which one it was after the fact.
All in all, I don’t think changing your mind—about who you are or who you want to be—should be so demonized. If you don’t like who you are or what you’re doing, you can change it. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been there or how long you’ve chased the same dream.
All that matters is that you do what serves you.
That’s my two cents.
Hope you enjoyed.