I recently had the chance to sit down for lunch with one of our former Surgeon Generals at a recent conference in Atlanta at CNN center where we were featured speakers. Between the hustle and bustle of one of the few LIVE events going on, we were able to have a COVID free lunch and share a few ideas together.
Born in 1933, Dr. Jocelyn Elders became the first woman and first African-American Surgeon General. If I were to sum up her entire career one word it would be incredible leadership. Well that is two words, but I find it impossible to sum up her entire career in one word, a paragraph, or even a page!
“If I made it out of cotton…” Dr. Jocelyn Elders
Advice from her family set her out on the right path when she knew she needed to “get a good education so I can get out of the cotton patch.” She told me that when she graduated high school at the age of 15, her siblings had to pick cotton to raise money for her to go to college. Breezing through college and being told many times that she couldn’t become a physician growing up in the Jim Crow south; she enlisted into the Army so that she could take advantage of the GI Bill to attend medical school.
Her persistence, bravery, and perseverance astound me. After medical school it wasn’t long before she became a chief resident and continued on in various leadership positions breaking (glass) ceilings along the way. As I think about how she bravely battled sexism and racism coming up the ranks, it was no surprise how she handled her interaction with former President Bill Clinton, when he asked her to become Surgeon General. She told me that she had never aspired to be in such a position, but was honored to be asked. She took some time to think it over and called the President back and said, “I will do it, but you have to let ME run healthcare.”
Dr. Elders’ experience helps all of us. She gives lessons of courage, persistence, perseverance, determination, and plain old hard work to achieve any goal great or small. When you think of the adversity she faced, all the obstacles and oppression, she overcame a lot to become an incredible success. As we finished our COVID safe lunch I handed her an autographed copy of Licensed To Live: A Primer to Rebuilding Your Life After Your Career is Shattered to let her know that I have had my fair share of adversity, but in a different way.
So how does this relate to your life? We all have obstacles to overcome in life. The difference lies in how you stand up to the challenge; do you become a challenge solver or a problem victim? Despite the added burden of our employment challenges within the pandemic, we must persist, we must move forward. If you have difficulty moving past your obstacle or redirecting, I am here for you when you are ready, make an appointment at www.timewithdoctorjarret.com
