Mount Moran, The Teton Range -  Grand Teton National Park, WY

A New Year: A Fine Time for Introspection and Reaffirmation of Who You Are and Your Life's Purpose

In the course of the 365 days of a year, we live the roles at home and work that we have set for ourselves. We perform our various tasks, whether planned or improvised, usually without further critical reflection. We sail along until life's events get our serious attention.

For most of my life I had lived splendidly. So it was until what I refer to as one of life’s exclamation points brought my career to a sudden halt. Cancer has a very emphatic way of doing that. Treatment was immediate, the cure took longer. Thankfully, cancer is a thing of the past… for real.

As my storm subsided, I began to think about What to do next. I thought of myself as a Plastic Surgeon but that did not provide actionable answers. I then learned that the answer was to be found not in a specific role but rather in how I learned to find the answers ...

Epic Transition - Gulf of Mexico, Florida

Life comes and presents us with a full menu of future transitions. We are naturally prepared for some but not all.

We experience natural preparation as we grow from infancy and our genetic encoding expresses itself as we learn to eat, crawl, walk, run, etc.

As we grow older we begin to learn from our parents, schools, colleges and professional training. We learn early on that we have to work and devote focused effort to succeed at achieving a myriad of milestones. These are the transitions for which there are family and organizations that help prepare us.

Then, there are challenging life transitions for which typically there is no real preparation. I refer to them as "life's exclamation points." They are so profound that they usually shake you to the core of your being. Some examples are divorce, bereavement, mid-career change and "retirement."

It is my preference not to use the word retirement to describe a person's end of career. For ma...

Elements of Vision - Yellowstone National Park

The Challenges are Much More than Financial

For a number of my colleagues, the anticipation of their end of career is anticipated joyfully but with significant concerns.  For many others, it is dreaded for a variety of reasons.  For both, the impending end of career is a challenging time.

The stresses and worries begin years before the actual anticipated end date. There is a heavy awareness that there are numerous serious obligations that must be managed and tasks that must be completed. What are they, one might ask?  The reality is that we typically know little about numerous necessary preparations and duties that must be accomplished. That lack of knowledge is often the source of stress and a sense of bewilderment.

The worst scenario is the one I experienced and made me Exhibit A: an unexpected illness and subsequent disability that ended my Plastic Surgery career. Happily, I am well now and have Transitioned to my new career.

While...

 Clouds in Transition - Gates of the Valley, Yosemite National Park

 What does making a great landscape photograph have to do with creating a new life after your end of career?

Grand art born of great, visionary artists often arises from a spontaneous idea, an image in the mind’s eye.  The evolution of an idea that culminates in a tangible work of art, whether a painting or a photograph of a spectacular landscape, requires a blending of grand vision and the execution of exceptional technique.

Similarly, in order to create a masterpiece that will be your new life, you must imagine a clear vision of your future before you begin to create it. The path to doing so is to prepare yourself by creating and executing a realistic plan that will guide you to making your new life an exuberant reality.

I am, by nature a serious person, yet strive to not take myself too seriously.  Certainly, there are some things in life besides faith, family, country, etc. that require serious respect and appr...