The other day I was talking to two individuals, working in the healthcare field, about their plans for the holidays. Their answer?
“I’m working.”
One has asked for two many days off and ran out of vacation. The other is not high enough on the managerial pole to get priority for holidays.
Obviously, someone has to work in medicine on the holidays. People get sick, and people need care. Mental health is no different. Mental health wards, for example, still need specialists to work even during the holidays and weekends.
But here’s the thing: it doesn’t have to be you.
It’s not any less noble, or any more wrong, to want more weekends to yourself. It’s not wrong to want to work fewer hours. It’s CERTAINLY not wrong to want to spend Thanksgiving and other holidays with friends and family.
We would never tell a client of ours that desiring these things is bad, nor would we stop them from working hard at finding ways to achieve that goal.
The thing is – you CAN make that happen.
The main problem, of course, is that you work for other people. Your hours and your days of working are not set by you, nor are you in control over how you’re scheduled. Even if you’ve worked your way into being a more traditional 9-5, you’re limited on vacation, you’re limited on sick days, and you’re encouraged and/or forced to come in to avoid not just being laid off, but also losing out on other better paying jobs in the future.
That’s why I *believe* that if you’ve ever considered starting a private practice – if you’ve ever wanted your Thanksgiving back – now is the time to do it.
There is no wrong time to start a practice, but it’s only going to get harder as time goes on. Marketing is getting harder. Growing is getting harder. The costs to start and create a private practice are increasing. It also becomes harder to break out of our comfort with work the longer we work there and the more we inch closer to retirement.
The best time to start your practice was yesterday. The second best time is today. And the third best time is tomorrow. Your private practice is your chance at freedom. It’s your opportunity to set your own hours, work the days you want to work, and still make *more* money than you are making currently.
And it’s even possible without leaving your current job.
I am here to help. It is my job to coach people towards starting their practice, providing them with the tools, support, information, and guidance necessary to launch a successful and growing practice. Start today, and by this time next year, you may be able to have your holidays back and a schedule that is more your own.