Trust Your Crazy Ideas: A Journey towards Professional Fulfillment
by Dr. Maura Roan

When most of us think of transformation, we commonly think of the butterfly, the quintessential symbol of change. As my sister and I began the journey of opening our office, we worked with a graphic designer to help create an image that would aptly represent our purpose and mission. We were dizzy with the demands of starting a new company, but we were able to decide on a logo concept containing a pair of butterflies flanking our business name.

With the passing of time, we have come to recognize and appreciate this serendipitous pairing. Not only is transformation a part of what we do on a daily basis—helping people move in the direction of better health—it also played a large role in my personal journey, which was not without sacrifice, difficult decisions, and some passages of pain. But I am grateful that I can honestly say that I love the life I am living today.

The first step in really changing my life’s direction began almost 10 years ago. My junior year in college, I was given a coveted opportunity to intern at a well-known advertising agency in Boston. It was during this yearlong internship that I began to reflect on what I would do for the rest of my life. Growing up, our mother always told us that whatever we chose to do in life, it should be something that we loved. I remember looking around that busy corporate advertising environment and knowing that I had no passion for what I was doing.

As a human resource and finance major at Boston College, I had some serious thinking to do. I asked myself what was important to me in a career. Number one on the list was helping people. I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives, make my own hours, and be happy and independent. This list helped me see that I needed to change the direction of my life. It was a bold decision at 21, but I chose a leave of absence from school, took the necessary science pre-requisites, and a year and half later found myself heading off to chiropractic school in Iowa.

When I finished my degree, I joined my stepfather’s practice, and it didn’t take me long to build up my own practice within his. Just one year out of school, I was in a very comfortable financial position. I was making more than enough money with little effort, but I had a nagging feeling that something was missing. I have always trusted my “gut” feelings, and my gut was telling me that there was more out there. I felt like if I stayed at the practice, I would be taking the easy road and not making the most of what was possible. Again, I found myself at a crossroads. What would really make me happy in the long run? 

My younger sister was in chiropractic school, and we both had similar ideas relating to our ideal practice. It was a tough conversation to have with my step dad, who is truly one of the most wonderful human beings, but I needed to move on. It was a huge leap of faith for me to leave a stable situation and face the unknown, but I also knew that staying was not an option. I was not so much unhappy as I was aware that I was not whole-heartedly following my dreams. In the long run I didn’t want to look back with regret and think, “I wish I had…”

To this day I keep a postcard my sister gave me that reads, “Trust Your Crazy Ideas.” It serves as a reminder to pay attention to those inner feelings that guide us in making big and sometimes scary decisions. Anytime there is change, there is an element of uncertainty. An important question that has always served me is: “If things stay as they are, will I be truly happy?” Life is meant to be joyful—when we are headed in the wrong direction, it’s our intuition that lets us know we are off track.

At the end of the day, my story is similar to many others.  Yet I truly know that life is about joy and following your heart’s purpose. I learned this from experience. And if hearing it one more time is enough encouragement for someone else to take a leap of faith, I know this was worth writing.

Drs. Maura and Jessica Roan are co-owners of Roan Family Chiropractic in North Easton, MA. They provide chiropractic care for people of all ages in a comfortable, family-oriented atmosphere. www.RoanFamilyChiropractic.com
First appeared in Apr/May 07 issue of aspire… Magazine.