Two Roads to the Same Destination
Recently, I began receiving acupuncture treatments from a team of two gifted interns named Amy Woods and Beth Mershon who are both completing masters degrees in Oriental Medicine here in Austin at a school called Texas College of Traditional Oriental Medicine.
Both women are extremely happy with their choice to pursue this career at this particular school where most of the teachers are originally from China and their satisfaction is reflected in the careful and thorough way they take care of me and all their patients.
When I meet people like Amy and Beth who love their work, I always ask them how they made the decision to pursue what they do and so I asked and am delighted to share their answers which demonstrate how a contrast of approaches to career choice can help you end up at the same place.
Before Amy chose this path, she dabbled in business in her undergraduate work but found herself more fascinated with her anatomy class than her accounting class. In addition, she was exposed to the rewards of acupuncture through watching her cousin who happens to be a navy seal heal from a traumatic back injury with assistance from this healing modality. She was mentored by another cousin’s wife who was at school for acupuncture and then died suddenly before her own graduation. After this blow to her family, Amy was unsure she could pursue her dream but in a way, draws strength from her cousin and the spirit of the woman who guided her to her calling.
Beth’s story involves trusting her intuition. After attending junior college for a while and getting a degree online in graphic design, Beth worked in a variety of odd jobs and learned that office work was not for her so she made a vow to herself figure out what she really wanted to do. The answer came in the form of a bumper sticker. Beth has a bumper sticker curiosity and one day she saw a red bumper sticker on a van up ahead that when had to read. She sped up to see it and there was her answer in bold letters: ACUPUNTURE WORKS. In addition, she noticed the driver of the van was a Native American woman with long braids and since Beth has some Native American roots, that sealed the deal. Without any experience or exposure to acupuncture, she took a leap of a faith and has never regretted it.
As you can see, Amy’s process is more analytical while Beth decision was more spontaneous which I think fit their personalities but both are very much following their hearts and pursing a calling.
