Alice Douglas, LicAc MBAcC
I have the best job in the world. I say this all the time, but I really do mean it. When I finished my A levels at age 18, I decided I was going to study acupuncture.
There were some funny looks from the people in my life. People believed I was entering an unreliable and less than ideal career path. And of course, people questioned whether I could make a living when I graduated as an acupuncturist.
Now, I would argue, what new graduate leaves Uni at 21 with their bachelor’s degree in economics or history in hand, feeling really secure and stable? I have watched so many of my friends go through it and I can tell you, they leave with little idea as to where they are going. So, is acupuncture really any different?
To my delight, and as I always believed would be the case, studying acupuncture is different. You leave CCA a confident practitioner ready to start a business, ready to hit the ground running. I left with a clear and reliable career in front of me. I knew I had so much more to learn, but I was in the best place possible to start my journey as an acupuncturist.
That was two years ago. And now, two years in, I own two clinics, that are expanding and growing in ways I never predicted. I am so content, not only with my work, but with the freedom and joy my work allows across my life.
My office is my safe space, it is an inspiring place where I get to welcome patients. I spend my days chatting and supporting amazing people. I get to be, in some very small way, a part of their story. Each patient I work with teaches me so much, about TCM, about human nature and about life.
I am empowered by my work and I am in control of my own life. Owning your own business gives you so much choice. As does being an acupuncturist. There are so many ways to run a clinic, ways to be a practitioner. Getting to find your own groove and figure out who you are going to be is so exciting and a lifelong exploration.
Finding contentment in life is something that can be rather difficult. It can be a fleeting acquaintance to some, a stranger to others, but for me, contentment is a firm friend. And I owe a large amount of that to Chinese Medicine and my training at CCA.
Alice Douglas, LicAc MBAcC