As entrepreneurs, dream chasers, and high achievers, we’re wired to make things happen. We set goals, create timelines, build strategies, and push forward — often with admirable determination. But sometimes, that same determination can turn into attachment. We become so focused on a particular outcome that we miss the quiet nudge of something better trying to find its way in.
One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned is that true success requires both clarity and surrender — being laser-focused on what you want, yet open enough to recognize when the universe (or life, or God — however you define it) is redirecting you toward something greater than your original plan.
And that, my friends, requires faith.

The Plan I Thought I Wanted

When I moved to Oregon in 2010 for my orthodontics residency at OHSU, my path felt crystal clear: graduate, then move back to Austin, Texas, where I’d been living and thriving for five years. I loved Austin — the culture, the friendships, the energy. My dream was simple: become an orthodontist, work for someone else, make a great living, and enjoy life.
Owning a business? That sounded terrifying. I didn’t see myself as a “business owner.” I saw myself as a clinician — someone who wanted stability and fulfillment without the headaches of running a company.
But as often happens, exposure changes perspective. During my residency, I met people with different mindsets — people who showed me that entrepreneurship wasn’t just about money; it was about freedom, creativity, and growth. The more I listened, the more I realized that owning a practice might actually align with who I was becoming.
So, I updated my plan. I’d still move back to Texas, but this time to own my practice.

The Unexpected Introduction

In May 2012, during my second year of residency, I attended the American Association of Orthodontists annual meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii. There, I ran into one of my professors — someone I respected deeply and who, I thought, might be ready to sell his practice.
He wasn’t.
But he introduced me to a colleague who had a practice for sale in a city I had never visited: Salem, Oregon.
The moment I shook the man’s hand, he said, “Do you want to buy my practice? I want to sell it to a woman.”
“Where is your practice?” I asked.
“Salem,” he said.
My response was immediate: “No, thank you.”
I’d heard Salem described less than favorably by my co-residents. I was a city girl — I loved energy, people, art, movement. Salem sounded… quiet. I told him, politely, that I wasn’t interested but that I had a female co-resident who might be.
And that was that. Or so I thought.

The Dream That Wouldn’t Work

Fast-forward a few months. I was now in full start-up mode, planning to build my own practice in Portland. I had the business plan, the accountant, the architect, even the dream chair colors. I was excited and determined — but every single door kept closing.
The banks wouldn’t lend without a part-time associate job.
I couldn’t find a good location.
The architect relationship fell apart.
Even when I pushed harder, nothing worked.
Meanwhile, I learned that my co-resident — the one who was supposed to buy that Salem practice — never did. The doctor went back to running it himself.
I told myself it didn’t matter. Salem still wasn’t in my plan.

The Call That Changed Everything

Then one day, while driving home from the grocery store, I got a call from an unfamiliar number. It was a practice broker.
“I got your name from your friend Seth,” he said. “He already has a practice, so he suggested I call you.”
“Where is this practice?” I asked.
“Salem.”
He didn’t have to say another word. I knew exactly which practice it was — the same one from Hawaii, one year to the day since that first handshake.
In that moment, something inside me shifted. I pulled over and started to cry — not from sadness, but from recognition. It felt as if the universe had been patiently waiting for me to stop resisting what was meant for me all along.
I whispered out loud, “Okay, God. I get it. You win.”
That practice — the one I swore I didn’t want — became my practice. And it turned out to be one of the greatest blessings of my life.

The Entrepreneur’s Lesson: Faith in the Pivot

Every entrepreneur will face a moment like this — a crossroads between persistence and pivoting. You’ll chase a dream with everything you’ve got, only to find closed doors and detours that make no sense. And in those moments, it’s tempting to double down, to push harder, to prove you were right.
But sometimes, resistance isn’t a test of how badly you want something — it’s a redirection toward what’s actually meant for you.
The key is discernment.
You must learn to recognize the difference between an obstacle meant to strengthen you and a wall meant to turn you.
That’s the real art of success — being committed to your vision without being attached to one specific outcome.
Because sometimes, the universe has a better plan — one that takes you exactly where you’re meant to go, even if it’s somewhere you said you’d never be.

Final Thought

If you’re in a season where nothing seems to be working, don’t assume it’s failure. Sometimes it’s divine intervention — the universe moving you out of what’s comfortable and into what’s calling.
Keep the vision, release the attachment, and have the courage to say, “Okay, God. I get it. You win.”
You might just discover your own version of Salem — the opportunity you once resisted that changes everything.