Flowing Amidst Enduring Nature - 2009

Little Pigeon River, Great Smoky Mountains N. P.

The Reciprocity of Service and Satisfaction

I have previously discussed the importance of expressing gratitude to those who have had a positive influence on our lives. Our expressions of heartfelt gratitude creates joy for those who have given of themselves for our benefit. It also provides satisfaction to ourselves.

Early Experiences…a Prelude

Early life, while in college, I would visit my high school. It was fun to reminisce fond memories. But my strongest motivation for those visits, was to seek out my teachers and mentors. To simply see them again and more importantly, to express my gratitude to them. I recall very well the great smiles on their radiant faces. 

I learned from those early experiences how gratifying it was to acknowledge those who were an important part of my education and development.

As my years of education and training continued, I had opportunities to teach and...

Kenai Fjords National Park, AK - 2012

The Relationship Between Feeling Relevant and Your Purpose in Life.

The personal feeling of relevance is closely intertwined with the actualization of your potential and more specifically, the fulfillment of your purpose in life.

Perhaps, it is most commonly thought of as a sense of pride in oneself, in part as a result of a lifetime of accomplishments, both personal and professional. This is particularly the case when such accomplishments were attained in the service of others.

The need to feel relevant is an integral element of the human experience. It is a desire that knows no boundaries: age, sex, race, language, geography, occupation or vocation.

It is widely experienced and yet it is ultimately quite personal.

The Companions on My Journey: Purpose and Relevance

My career as a Plastic Surgeon unexpectedly came to an end due to colon cancer and other medical problems. Happily, years later, I am cured, healthy and well.

At that time in my...

Daring Vision

Sentinel Rock, Yosemite National Park - 2008

How the Making of a Photographic Masterpiece Relates to the Creation of Your Future Lifestyle 

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 lifestyle, 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 Post Career Lifestyle 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 like faith, family, country, etc. that require...

The Snake River and the Teton Range - 2008

Grand Teton National Park, WY 

 Change and Transition: How They Can Affect You

Change and transition are words that are often used interchangeably. However, these two words have different meanings and what they describe have distinctly different purposes.

My personal experience with change and transition illustrates this point.

Lessons Learned in My Journey

Years ago, I was diagnosed with colon cancer and then developed other medical problems. Together they created a change that ended my Plastic Surgery career and triggered my End of Career Transition. Thankfully, years later I am cured, renewed and fulfilled in my new career. 

My successful Transition did not occur spontaneously. It was the result of sustained, focused and deliberate effort over a period of time.  That effort was directed at a particular envisioned outcome: to achieve renewal and experience fulfillment. The means for achieving that outcome was the...

Bursting with Expression

USA - 2011

An Often Unspoken, Yet Real Personal Concern

The anticipation and experience of your End of Career is a major life Transition. It will present you with number of unfamiliar challenges in addition to financial concerns. 

Whether you undergo a succession, sell your practice outright, close it or give notice to your employer, there are numerous matters that will require your attention.

Some of the challenges will be obvious to you, others not so much so. They are profound and common, yet often unspoken. Some can actually cause you to delay key decisions and will impede your progress.

Reasons I Encounter 

As a consultant and coach to medical professionals and other highly accomplished individuals concerning their End of Career Transition, I know there are obstacles that prevent individuals from ending their career and transitioning to the next phase of their lives. These are some of the less evident, but important reasons:

• Not knowing how...

Expression of Love

Home, FL - 2009 

Honor Mom…from me to mine, from you to yours.

Summary:

• I am confident that each of us has reasons to be grateful. Beyond life itself, there is our world of people that each of us can think of that warm our hearts and cause us to smile.
• Sometimes, we want to thank them personally, in the manner that we were taught when we were growing up. To express our heartfelt gratitude. To do so brings joy to those who have given of themselves for our benefit, as well as satisfaction to ourselves.
• Our expressions of heartfelt gratitude graces those who have given of themselves that we may live a fuller life. It is in saying thank you, without reservation, that we help reaffirm their belief in us.
• To gracefully express genuine gratitude it's one of the core gestures of a wholesome life.
• We benefit others and ourselves by reorienting ourselves from passive awareness to affirmative, grateful expression.
• Be confident that as you express...

North Shore, Kauai - 2021

Your Freedoms, Your Choices…To Do or Not to Do

Your end of career is approaching. 

Your vision of this new phase of your life is becoming ever more clear. 

You are growing more confident that the dreams born of your imagination will become a reality. 

Your smile reflects joy of anticipation. 

You take a deep, deep breath that parallels the satisfaction you feel for what you have accomplished in life.

You feel deeply the conviction that you have earned the life that your aspire to live…and it really feels awesome! 

Well earned, well deserved!

 As I wrote these words, they seemed to flow easily. They describe my own life experience and that of others I have guided through this phase of their life’s journey. 

 A Time for You and New Feelings

This is your time for dreaming, planning, executing and experiencing the emerging reality of it all. Amidst the excitement, it is also a time to apply the skills...

Tranquil Flow, Madison River - 2004

Yellowstone National Park, WY

On Transforming Visions Into Joyful Reality

One fine morning with coffee in hand, you still savor that last sip of your custom brew.  You feel peaceful. Then a fleeting thought stirs up an awareness that you are thinking more and more about your future End of Career and the next great phase of your life. You smile and feel warmer inside…and then you feel a twinge of angst.

These are mixed emotions: joy and apprehension. They swirl around your mind stirred up much like the sweetener you blended into your coffee.

You wonder whether this is a common experience and how other successful colleagues deal with it. You might ask when is the right time to begin to deal with your ever increasing questions. 

You sense that you must do something. 

A Fictional Character that Reflects a Real Person 

This is the familiar story of Alex, a physician like many others you may know.

Alex is at that time of his...

Your Path, Your Destination

Buffalo River, Idaho - 2021

When to Create Your Strategy and How to Execute the Tactics

Your future End of Career is an event about which it is natural to experience feelings of excitement as well as some concerns.

As the time nears, your concerns may become more prevalent. A major reason is the recognition that this is an unfamiliar process.

But how do you know when is the right time to start planning, let alone what the end date will be?

As you try to answer that question, it becomes apparent that it is very difficult to determine when to begin to prepare when the necessary scope and duration of preparation is unknown.

The reality is that because this is a such a personal and professional matter, with so many different facets, it is impossible to predict how much work and time it will take. You can only anticipate so much…and there will probably be more to do than you thought necessary. 

The best way to know is to engage the challenge by...

Springing Forward, Bougainvillaea

Florida - 2004

How the Unnatural Origin of Words Render Them Meaningless

The purpose of language is to communicate ideas effectively. The use of words best serves that goal when their meaning accurately describes reality. Throughout millennia, mankind has strived to deal with the successes and failures of communication.

One example of the inaccurate use of words is the term “retirement.” 

My Encounter With “Retirement”

For many years I used that term as commonly used in the United States. That is, until the time came that I faced the unexpected end of my career as a Plastic Surgeon.

The diagnosis of cancer, its treatment and aftermath had a vivid way of broadening my perspective about life. The good news, is that am cured, healthy and well!

Questions as Teachers

Questions and answers have a way of broadening one’s perspective. Questions like Why and What?

It is especially at times of triumph, tragedy and transition...