Yellowstone River, Hayden Valley – 2020

Yellowstone National Park, WY

 What Would Happen if You Couldn’t Practice Anymore? My Story.

I was 59 years old and thought I had many more years of Plastic Surgery practice ahead of me. I purchased the standalone office building of my dreams and undertook a major renovation, including a surgical facility. 

I knew I needed to plan for my succession. This was the plan, although my own end of career seemed distant…or so I thought.

I resolved to do so soon, but never got the chance. Some months after the grand opening of my office and I was settled in, I was diagnosed with colon cancer. It was a big surprise as I had been diligent about physical exams, screenings and my health in general. That and other medical problems ended my Plastic Surgery career.

I am well, thankful and happy that for a number of years I have been cured of colon cancer. My days of practicing medicine are over, but I was motivated to guiding physicians, who spend their li...

Bedrock of Serenity – 2022

North Shore, Kauai

Living Purposefully and Fully

To contemplate the passage of time and how you perceive it is a subject of wonder since the beginning of time.

Early humans pondered the coming and going of the sun and moon while keeping warm by a campfire near their cave. In the twenty-first century, we ponder and wonder about the same rhythms of life as we mark time on a digital clock.

The rotation of the earth on its axis that creates day and night is the same now as it was in antiquity.

The rotational march of the earth around the sun that creates the seasons and marks the years, is the same now as it was then.

So it is, that the objective march of time, was and is the same for all of us. 

But there are three things that differentiates you and I as individuals:

• How you choose to use the precious time of your life.
• How those choices reflect how you value your time.
• How you perceive the speed at which time passes. 

These three factors are ...

Flaming Gorge Reservoir – 2020

Utah

A Path to Readiness

The transition from your career is one of those major life events for which it is critical to prepare well in advance. 

Early on you will recognize that the magnitude and scope of the challenge is significant. As a result, you will also realize that to achieve a successful transition you will need to devote focused effort over a significant period  of time. These inevitable, initial questions will arise: 

• How do I begin? 
• What should I do? 
• In what order should I do it?

I know that you learned long ago, as I have, that great achievements require great preparation.

The First Step of the Path 

To begin, there are three major concerns for which preparation is essential.

The first of these is to prepare yourself, personally, to enter the next great phase of your life. As you do so, it is important to keep in mind that your spouse and family, are also going through a transition.

The second concern is to prepare yourself...

Mt. McKinley – 2011

Denali National Park, AK

Your Lifestyle as Art

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.

There are some things in life like faith, family, country, etc. that require serious respect and appreciation. Then there are others that stimulate a special sort of devotion. For me they are,  among other things, fly-fishing and landscape photography.

In the course of my tra...

Toward the Light – 2009

Florida

Preparing and Overcoming

The transition from our careers is a process that is an unfamiliar, major undertaking that we all face. It affects us in common and unique ways that include personal, professional and medical practice matters.

You probably have the ability to plan and prepare in a timely, proactive manner. This is the optimal approach that provides you the most flexibility to deal with matters you know about now, as well as those you do not…for the time being. It also creates some room to deal with matters unexpected and unwanted.

This is the essence of a planned transition, one that you can choose when to initiate on your terms.

In contrast, a reactive transition is one that begins when life thrusts upon you a surprising change that is often unwanted.

My Circumstance

A reactive transition was what I had to deal with, despite having made initial, preliminary plans for my own career transition. I can attest that it is an unpleasant, unwant...

Flying in Freedom - 2021

Rough-legged Hawk

Idaho

The Right Decisions Manifest Freedom

Perhaps you are at a point in your career that you can envision the transition to the next great phase of your life.

Your ideas and aspirations are becoming more clear. 

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

You have some concerns, yet 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 the conviction deeply that you have earned the life that your aspire to live.

Well earned, well deserved!

A New Dawn for You

This is your time for dreaming, planning, executing and experiencing the emerging reality of it all. Amidst the excitement, it is also the time to apply the skills and wisdom you have developed over the course of your career to this very special time of your life.

You will probably experience a variety of profound feeli...

Gallatin River – 2004

Montana

Path and Phases

The transition from your career is a process that is usually lengthy. When it is well-planned, it is typically executed in sequential phases that are comprised of tasks that build upon the previous ones.

The most challenging of these phases is usually the first. This is when you come to terms with the fact that your transition from practice is in your foreseeable future. It is natural for reactions to vary widely from joy of anticipation to apprehension and perhaps some stress. The experience is commonly a blend of both.

Regardless of how you perceive this phase of your life, you will probably experience a sense of loss that is accompanied by excitement about great anticipations. It is beneficial to think of this process as what it really is: a transition, rather than a “retirement.” The term transition emphasizes its purpose: to experience renewal and fulfillment, a form of positive transformation.

 Retirement closes doors; transitio...

Luminous Path – 2022

Grand Teton National Park, WY

A Path Amidst Obstacles

You may be at a time in your life that you find yourself having recurrent thoughts about your future transition from practice. They will probably range from specific ideas to some that are still vague. You may consider this for awhile and perhaps come to realize that a very long time has gone by without a clear idea of what to do, how or when. Yet, the challenge remains.

You are not alone in this experience. It’s common.

At some point, there will arise from within you a powerful desire to act, to move forward and do what needs to be done to prepare yourself and your practice. Hopefully, it’s not too late to achieve your desired optimal outcome.

What to Do When

Over time, you will be able to reach some conclusions, such as when you want to stop practicing, what do to do afterwards, what to do about your practice and much more. 

You’ll probably realize that the answers are often tentative because there’s m...

Delicate Splendor – 2022

Kauai, HI

 An Approach for Evaluating Your Readiness – Part 4 of 5

At some point in your career, you will begin to contemplate your transition from your plastic surgery career and begin planning. You may take action by getting an update regarding the status of your retirement plan from your investment advisor.  

After that, you and perhaps your spouse may schedule a meeting with your financial planner (let’s call him Charles). You go with the expectation of getting an opinion about your financial readiness.

Questions and Reflection

Charles asks you a few questions about your future plans and lifestyle. You describe your ideas so far and he suggests that you undertake more detailed planning together so he can advise you optimally on your financial readiness. He asks you to prepare a fairly clear description of how you envision your ideal future lifestyle. This includes a projection of associated costs. The meeting ends and you resolve to get it done.

Now,...

Natural Phases – 2004

Yosemite National Park, CA

 Your Career Transition Is a Stimulus for Personal Development and Fulfillment – Part 3 of 5

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.

Lessons Learned in My Life’s Journey

My personal experience with change and transition illustrates this point. 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. 

The end of my career was precipitated by an unexpected change. The subsequent transition was not an event. Rather it was a process that involved sustained, focused and deliberate effort over a period of time.  That effort was directed at a particular envisioned outcome: to experience ren...