Happy New Year! Motivational Post to Start 2021!!

For the first IndustryMDCoach blog post of 2021 I want to provide you with motivational quotes and words of wisdom related to your journey to a career in the pharma/biotech industry. 

1 — Through my own coaching (and also in Atomic Habits by James Clear – great book, highly recommend adding to your reading list!)…

Substitute the word “GET” for “HAVE” or “NEED”

when you consider items on your to do list: 

Instead of “I HAVE to update my CV” … “I GET to update my CV”

Obviously, this works for anything in your life but I encourage you to use it as you make start or continue your journey to a career in the pharma/biotech industry! 

The next two learnings come from previous blogs where I interviewed pharma physician colleagues…

2 — This is advice from one of the physicians I interviewed about her transition to a pharmaceutical role in Medical Affairs…

 “it is important not to idealize the situation”

My translation of this quote is:

“the grass is not always greener on the other side”

Make sure you are making the career transition for positive reasons, do the soul searching about why you want to leave where you currently are and why you want a career in pharma/biotech.

3 — More wise counsel regards our need for perfection as a physician and how we have to flex during our transition to the pharma/biotech industry…

“Let some of that go!

We have to be open to trying and if the approach does not work, try something else.

Be willing to make mistakes, learn from them and don’t make the same mistake again.”

4 — I’ll finish with a poem (found in Atomic Habits by James Clear – I’m LOVING this book!)… this poem speaks to flexibility –

– flexibility is critical in all phases of your transition to the pharma industry –

flexibility in knowing the process may not follow a straightforward path, flexibility in knowing you are part of a team and not the primary decision-maker, flexibility with expectations of yourself!

Men are born soft and supple;

dead, they are stiff and hard.

Plants are born tender and pliant;

dead, they are brittle and dry.

Thus, whoever is stiff and inflexible

is a disciple of death.

Whoever is soft and yielding

is a disciple of life.

The hard and stiff will be broken.

the soft and supple will prevail.

–       Lao Tzu 

Here’s to a great 2021!

Cheers!!