The Longer You Stay on the Wrong Train, the More Expensive It Is to Get Back Home
I stayed on the wrong train (the “traditional path”) for nearly ten years.
The result?
Burnout and lost time.
It's easy to stay on a train going the wrong direction.
Maybe it’s comfort. Maybe it’s fear. Or maybe it’s the quiet hope that things will somehow get better if we just stay seated.
But here’s the truth: the longer you stay, the harder — and more costly — it becomes to turn back.
The "Flexion" Point
Every great story has a pivot — that moment when the main character makes a radical shift away from their current path toward a new one. It’s a flexion point where everything changes: the plot, the perspective, and the possibilities.
For me, that pivot happened in rural Manitoba.
I had taken a freelance optometry position there, and it unexpectedly reconnected me with why I chose this profession in the first place. Away from the city noise and daily grind, I rediscovered a sense of freedom and purpose. Shortly after that trip, I quit my full-time job and began a new path.
The Power of Pivots
Through my creative projects, I’ve connected with colleagues who’ve made bold pivots of their own:
- Dr. Riyad took an unpaid role as the vision specialist for a hockey team.
- Dr. Janice began uploading educational videos on social media.
- Dr. Hastin applied to apprentice in tattoo artistry.
In hindsight, those shifts were the crucial turning points that transformed their careers.
Interestingly, many of these pivots happened after COVID — a time when we were all forced to slow down, reflect, and ask ourselves if we're on the right path.
What About You?
Do you like the train you’re on?
If you stay on your current path for 5, 10 years, where does that lead? And is that really where you want to go?
Maybe it's time for your own bold pivot.
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