When Life Prescribes a Different Path

When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

At three, I declared with the conviction of a seasoned expert, “I will be a doctor!” By five, I had the stethoscope (plastic, of course) and the white coat (courtesy of my school’s fancy dress competition). If dreams had degrees, I had already earned my MBBS in imagination.

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

As the years passed, my medical ambitions refined themselves. Psychiatry fascinated me. The mind, after all, is the trickiest organ—unseen, unheard, yet ruling our every move. But fate had its own prescription. Instead of a medical degree, I found myself in the world of nursing, wielding compassion like a scalpel, stitching broken spirits instead of skin.

Did I miss being called “Doctor”? Maybe. But did I still heal in my own way? Absolutely.

“Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear scrubs and have coffee stains on their sleeves.”

Sometimes, life’s best lessons come disguised as detours. And perhaps the greatest realization of all is this: You don’t need a title to heal people—you just need a heart that listens.

Thought to Ponder:** What if your dream job is not a job, but the impact you make?