"One Day, I'm Going to Work With an NHL Team"
Recently I was watching an NHL game with my friend and colleague, Dr. Riyad Khamis. With 6 seconds left in overtime, Carolina Hurricanes scored – a tough loss for the Edmonton Oilers (who we were rooting for). Riyad looked over and said, "One day, I'm going to work with an NHL team". I believe him.
Let me backtrack.
I met Riyad in optometry school. Always the most positive person in the room, I remember thinking, "How is he always so damn happy??". We became close during a memorable semester interning at a neuro-ophthalmology clinic in Mobile Alabama (roll tide!!!🌊🌊🌊).
Fast forward to now, Riyad is one of the most successful optometrists I know. He founded London Vision Development Centre which specializes in concussion therapies. He delivers talks about B&L contact lenses all over Canada. He's also a sports vision specialist working with Edmonton Oil Kings' goalies (league just below NHL).
Today, I'm sharing two interesting insights from Riyad's path to his dream job of training athletes' visual systems.
Passion Comes After Hard Work
Riyad shared that breaking into sports vision was the hardest thing he's ever done.
After years of prep and networking, London Knights (Ontario Hockey League) asked Riyad to be its sports vision specialist for the season. However, the team didn't want to pay, and Riyad declined.
Upon reflection, he realized that his ego ("my time is worth a lot") was holding him back from his passion. The following season, he agreed to work for free.
Despite no pay, Riyad took his job seriously, dedicating countless hours to training goalies, analyzing their games, and personalizing each athlete's training regimen.
The London Knights won the provincial championship in their first season with Riyad. Seeing his value, the team started paying for his services for subsequent seasons.
In our discussion, Riyad said this:
Power of Networking
Through his work with the London Knights, Riyad networked with the people in the industry. Eventually, the team management spoke highly of Riyad to the Edmonton Oil Kings' GM (Western Hockey League), who then hired him to work with their goalies. Now, he gets to work with athletes on an even bigger stage.
"Networking is powerful," he said, "but you never know who can help you down the road."
As you climb in your career, it becomes less about you and more about who you know.
I recently read an insightful book called "Who, Not How" by Dan Sullivan. The premise is that you can achieve great things by asking "WHO can help me with this?", rather than "HOW can I do this myself?". Give it a read!
And Riyad: I'm proud to call you my friend & I'm rooting for you. 👊😤
Join me on a journey to redesign life, one step at a time! 👊
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