Emelia Sam | Joanne Guidoccio

Welcome to my Second Acts Series!

Today, we have Emelia Sam talking about the dismantling of her first act and the mental shift that enabled her to start an exciting second act.

Here’s Emelia!

For most of my life, I’ve fallen in line. I did the “right” things. Said the “right” things. Pursued the “right” things. I followed the script that society dutifully laid out for me. “Pick something,” it said. So, I did and I made a practical decision to become a dentist.

There was only one problem.

Two years into dental school, I found out I abhorred general dentistry. But the script was written so I followed it to the end. In an attempt to escape, I entered a residency in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery.

There was only one problem.

It didn’t resonate with me. I found it extremely interesting. I was initially captivated by the newness, but somewhere along the line, I realized I wasn’t enjoying it in the way my colleagues were. I thought to myself, “I have a right to be happy, too, don’t I?” But, I suppressed and finished the script.

I was fortunate enough to work in private practice combined with academia for two years. There was only one problem. I was dying little by little, day by day. As Maya Angelou has said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

That’s when it began. The dismantling of my life as I saw it. All of a sudden, the set seemed foreign. I didn’t understand my supporting characters. And I was more than ready, to relinquish my uncomfortable role. The unraveling of the costume I had donned years before had begun. The First Act was coming to a close.

This was scary. Terrifying really. For the first time in my life, there was no set pattern to follow, It was up to me to make my own way. To improvise. To flow.

It took some time, but I have found my way to authenticity and continue to do so. I’ve returned to my creative core I once tried to ignore. My love of writing and contemplation have made their way to the forefront. This is the work I am supposed to put out into the world. The more I do it, the more aligned I feel with my true purpose.

I encourage others to shift from practicality to purpose. I’ve been there and I can attest to the fact that once you make that mental shift, life opens up.

I respect the lessons that I’ve learned along the way. Wherever I have been has been necessary for my evolution. I haven’t rejected my past because it has shaped who I am. I lived coloring within the lines and now I’m learning to paint my own pictures.

This time, there will be no script. I’m accepting the fluidity of life and eagerly awaiting the next plot twist. Yes. The Second Act is firmly underway…and I’m loving it.