Because I am a dirtbag by nature, I did not need to spend a lot of money to enjoy the things I valued during and after residency and fellowship. As an attending, I rented an apartment, drove a beater, and continued to travel like the budget backpacker I've always been.
[I'm still that guy. An older friend recently retired, and the intimate party was a black tie event. I wear tuxedos when I'm in a wedding party, but this was a good friend and I wanted to honor him and attend. I hit local thrift stores to assemble shoes, shirt, jacket and pants, then added a bowtie on Amazon for a total of ~$72 including dry cleaning fees. This pirate enjoys the treasure hunt every bit as much as the booty. But I digress...]Because I was able to save aggressively, I was able to cut back on those parts of clinical medicine that caused me the most grief.
Because I cut back on clinical medicine, I had time and energy to follow my curiosity and work on problems that seemed difficult - in my case, by forming a committee to get high utilizers of ED services into the appropriate place for care if it was somewhere other than the ED.
Because of my work with this committee, I earned recognition from colleagues in the hospital for fixing what were thought to be intractable problems.
Because I remained curious, I reached out to certain colleagues outside of my specialty to see if my new skillset might meet their needs. It turned out there was a newly vacant administrative position open. Although it was a reach position given my experience, my street cred and professional network provided an introduction that paved the way for a job offer.
Because I could accept a lower salary thanks to those years of early saving, I left clinical medicine and moved into a completely new role where I get a seat at the decision-making table (I might never have been considered for a job as a waiter at this table in prior days!). I work with a great team, and we do incredible work given our scrappy but tough bench.
Because my father received a terminal diagnosis several years ago, I was able to arrange remote work several days a week that allowed me to visit him every 2-3 weeks during the long goodbye that preceded his passing.
Because my team understood that I would need to be more available for my mother after my father passed, I was able to once again cut back my work commitments to meet my family obligations.
Because my motives are driven by intellectual curiosity rather than financial reward or professional ambition, I was able to come to an agreement where a very gracious boss allowed me to reverse-engineer my job to fit my needs and the needs of my team.
The virtuous cycle of superpowers begetting superpowers is visible in retrospect. All involved some degree of risk, of moving outside of a comfort zone and developing new skills, and of seeking out new mentors.
Financial literacy offered critical peace of mind that allowed me to try new things, risk failure, and reinvent my career.
I'm willing to bet you, too, have a superpower that could exert a multiplier effect if given the right opportunity.