Usually I do an annual update of my life, but these past two years have been just chaotic haven’t they? Because of this, I’ve reached out to my mentors constantly about life, clinical care, brussell sprout recipes, pretty much everything you can think of. The cool thing about mentorship is that it accelerates your progress so much. Whatever problem you’re having, they’ve had to deal with it several times throughout their decades of practice. They transfer their knowledge and experiences to you (think about hundreds of years of mistakes and successes just handed over to you). They give you tools to overcome problems, and how to avoid problems all together. So instead of an update, I’ll share 5 pieces of advice my mentors gave to me these past 2 years in no particular order.

1) “A bird in hand is better than two in the bush”

Are you one of those people who gets a new job, and then still finds themselves on job posting sites immediately? In sports medicine, and many other fields, it’s quite common. Whether it’s good or bad really isn’t the point of this post. Instead it’s to consider that what you have in front of you may be more valuable and greater in potential than what you think is out there. So when you get an opportunity, maybe give it full effort and some investment before thinking about what else could be out there.

2) “Consider being a voice and an advocate…I believe we all ebb and flow throughout our professional career…”

Burnout is real, frustration happens, and sometimes you just want to quit. The beautiful thing about your career is you can do whatever you want to do. Maybe you’re not ready for something right now, but it may still be important to you later on. You go do you, and invest time and effort in things you care about. There are plenty of other people who want to do what you don’t want to do (and are maybe even better at it). Learn how to say no, and when to say yes.

3) “I wouldn’t beat yourself up, I just published my dissertation from 2000.”

Right now I have 4 manuscripts and 3 case studies sitting in my laptop. Some of the data collected is from 2018. I feel like such a bum that I can not get these done. I chip away at them every 3 months, but then more revision suggestions keep coming in. I get defeated pretty easy. Props to everyone who has the discipline to conduct consistent research. These words aren’t to suggest it’s okay to be lazy, but that it’s understand your limits. Despite my failures in the past, I do think I will get all 7 completed this year. I understand that there’s other more pressing things I consider a priority. So whatever you put off, I would ask yourself why, then look at the things you are putting more priority in. Do your current priorities make sense? Maybe change it, maybe keep it. Just constantly self-assess, and understand life changes and priorities change.

Also, random, but how great is it that as PTs we have so many different things we can do?

4) “It just wasn’t your time, but I know that great things are in store for you…”

Sure, typical words from people who try to make you feel better after you’ve hit some adversity. However, when the big break happens, how those words hold so much truth. These people seem like fortune tellers! Just be sure not to wait around, but actually take feedback to improve yourself. Awards, acceptance, and recognition don’t just mean good job, they mean keep going. Things will come, you just have to keep working on yourself.

5) “What do you do for weightbearing right after ___ surgery? Allow some? Brace locked in extension? Non weightbearing?”

It’s just crazy to me how some people seem to have all the answers. Sure you might read the most up-to-date research, your system might do things a certain way, or your methods might appear successful to you. However, what a shame it is to live life thinking you know it all. If anything research has shown us, it’s that everything changes constantly, and what we think makes sense often does not hold true. I hold my mentors in high regard as people and clinicians. When they reach out just to compare what others are doing, it reminds me that even the smartest people I know don’t know everything. Check your biases, try out new methods, try out old methods, maybe don’t speak in absolutes. I think what makes a good provider is not someone who is good at one system and style of care, but one that is quickly able to switch approaches if their plan is not going accordingly…even if it’s not their favorite.