By Daniel Francis

In secondary school, I always had an interest in the sciences. At the time, if you loved sciences, your options seemed limited. Well, to me with my limited perspective.

The paths that were set out to me were to be a science teacher, marine biologist, do research in a stuffy lab all day, or become a doctor.

Something about being a doctor just had a nice ring to it, so I clung to that idea. For the majority of secondary and tertiary education, I held the belief that I wanted to be a doctor. I believed this to be my future, so I put my blinders on and kept moving forward.

After finally receiving my BSc in Biology with all the Pre-Medical requirements, it was now time for me to apply to medical school. I printed out all the forms, filled them out, and neatly tucked them into a sealed envelope. When it came time to deliver the form, I ran into some trouble. For some reason, I could not get myself to deliver the forms.

It was a terrifying feeling of hesitation because this path was one that I had my heart set out on for some years. Yet, there I was at one of the pivotal checkpoints of the journey and I could not move forward.

I let the deadline pass without sending in my form. I then deluded myself into believing that it was a fluke. I decided to work for a year, and I rationalised that the work was to help cover med school expenses. I did not want to let myself accept that maybe becoming a doctor was not the path for me.

Thinking back, I really should have gone to God in prayer, but I was not looking for an alternative solution at the time, I was attempting to stick to my guns.

A year passed by, and I followed the same pattern: I printed the forms, filled them out, put them in a sealed envelope, and again I did not send them in. I was now forced into addressing my problem.

Interestingly enough, when I was going through my ordeal, I saw many people around me in similar situations. Similarly, to how I made excuses and did not want to face my reality, I saw some of my friends, co-workers, and family members also unable to let go of what was weighing them down.

We complain about the job that we don’t love but refuse to leave, the toxic relationships that are bringing us down, the obsession over what could have been but never was and the list goes on and on.

I’m certain God lays breadcrumbs to lead us on the right path, but we sometimes miss them because we are unable to let go. We refuse to unburden ourselves of the ideals that we built up in our heads of what we are meant to be doing or where we are meant to be in our lives.

We are afraid that if we face reality, we may not like what comes next. I was afraid to think of a life alternative to being a doctor because I had not ever thought of a life outside of that.

God knows what’s best for us and I sometimes think we forget that. Today I am not a doctor, but I am many other things like a success coach and an author. God knew what He wanted for me. He saw what I could not see but I did not put enough trust in Him to follow the path He set for me.

Eventually, I did.

Learn from my mistake and if you are feeling as though you are not on the path that God has set out for you, do the brave and difficult thing.

Let go and let God guide you.

Daniel Francis is a millennial helping other millennials. He is a two-time author of the books The Millennial Mind and The Millennial Experience, and an entrepreneur. Over the past four years, he has served as a Personal Development Coach whose work targets Millennials and helps them tap into their full potential. He is also a Self-publishing coach and has guided hundreds on self-publishing their book successfully.

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