Immersed in Nature

Henry’s Fork, Snake River. Idaho - 2021

Nature Nurtures Our Natural State of Tranquility, Creativity and Well-being

The natural state of Nature, with uncommon exception, is tranquility. The kind of tranquility that invites and allows you to be easily connected with yourself, especially when you are alone. 

How often do you have that experience?

In the course of your daily life, it may be uncommon as it is for many. Yet, uncommon does not mean unnecessary. It is an essential experience of our very nature throughout our lives.

Some might think that it requires a far away place, a grand location that is not conveniently accessible. While such places are dear to our dreams and hopefully provide meaningful memories, they are not essential to achieve what Nature can offer you. 

The reality is that what is really beneficial to you is no further than your balcony, backyard or nearby park. 

To Live the Moment

It is my experience and that of others with whom I consult...

Flowing True to Course

Madison River and Range, Yellowstone National Park - 2010

Your Potential and Life’s Panorama

Summary:

When considering the matter of actualizing your potential, the focus is often on What you have accomplished…a promotion, a career or a title. 

These are laudable goals that are based on your personal qualities, character and effort. 

Nevertheless, these goals can be described as external in nature.

There is, however, a more expansive, beneficial perspective that describes the actualization of your potential. 

It is about how you apply them as you pursue various goals. It is about how your personal qualities influence the achievement of the goals you set for yourself. 

Listen to get a different perspective that will benefit you now and at your End of Career.

PS: By the way, do you want to learn more from me about how to get the most out of your life now and begin to prepare for your End of Career Transition as well as the next great phase of your life?...

Evergreens and Aspens, Stability Amidst Change 

Sierra Nevada - 2019

An Unspoken but Common Challenge to Your End of Career

Summary:

The anticipation and actual experience of the end of your career is a major life Transition. It will present you with unfamiliar challenges in addition to financial concerns.

Some of the concerns will be obvious to you, others are not. Yet, they are profound, common and often unspoken. These are some of the less evident, but important ones:

• Not knowing how to go about the process of Transition. 
• Not clearly distinguishing Who you are as an individual vs. What your title has been…your sense of identity and how this is relates to your Transition.
• Not knowing What you will do in the future that fulfills your purpose and desires in a balanced manner.
• Not having the confidence that after the end of your career you will continue to feel relevant.

In this audio I discuss these and, specifically, why the topic of relevance is important to you now an...

Equanimity Reflects Tranquility

Gulf of Mexico, Florida - 2008

To Experience Tranquility and Equanimity As a Way of Life...is to Live

Summary:

When it comes to time, our choices and perceptions, there are three things that differentiates us as individuals:

• How we choose to use the precious time of our lives.
• How those choices affect our value of how we choose to use our time.
• How we perceive the speed at which time passes.

You have the ability to change that perception for your personal benefit.

It is reasonable to conclude that if your perceptions are uniquely yours, then you can change that perception. 

Consider that as you can change your unique perception, you can improve the quality of your life.

It is of great value for you to exercise a personal discipline of deliberately practicing your sense of equanimity and tranquility. It is even more valuable when such deliberate practice is directed toward a particular purpose. Fundamentally, that purpose is to live peacefu...

Stubborn Stability Amidst Roaring Change - Merced River

Yosemite National Park, 2004

Your Transition Is a Stimulus for Personal Development and Fulfillment

Summary:

There are two words that are sometimes used interchangeably when discussing the End of Career as though they have the same meaning: change and transition. However, these two words have different meanings and what they describe have distinctly different purposes.

Lessons Learned in My 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. 

My 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 outc...

Tranquil Vista - Idaho, 2004

The Personal Impact of Perceiving Your End of Career as “Retirement" or Transition

Summary:

There are many individuals for whom their end of career is an event they look forward to. For many, however, that is not the case. 

My Experience

I have witnessed both attitudes, as well as a blend of both, in the course of consulting and coaching other professionals.

I have learned from them, as well as my own successful Transition.

The Human Experience

The End of Career Transition, that many refer to as “retirement,” is a process that can be shrouded in anxiety as it looms ahead. Here are significant reasons why:

• Highly accomplished individuals from virtually all walks of life have a strong tendency to describe themselves by their vocation or profession. 
• Individuals often do not clearly distinguish the difference between their internal identity and professional, public persona. 
• Extreme focus on career to the detriment of personal development over a l
...

Sedona Sentinels - Arizona, 2010

 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, some years later, I am now cured, healthy and well.

At that time...

Enlightened Visions - Florida; 2010

How to Take Solid Steps Along Your Path

The end of our careers is one of the most significant events of our lifetime that marks the beginning of the next phase of our lives.

Whether you are looking forward to it or not, the process of creating plans and executing them is marked with challenges and preoccupations.

It’s all worth it, as you envision and create realities that are the core of the new phase of your life.

Challenges and Opportunities

My personal experience, as well as guiding others as a consultant/coach, has reaffirmed certain challenges that must be recognized and managed effectively in a logical, sequential manner. This goes a long way to banish the stress of the unknown and help make the process a more positive experience.

So, what are these challenges and related questions?

First Things Should Not Always Be First

The first thing that most individuals naturally think about is their projected end date.

Then, there follows the ...

Sunset or Sunrise? - Florida Splendor, 2008

© Enrique Fernandez, M. D.

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 inexact 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 way of broadening my perspective about life. This was a vivid example. 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?

You ask yourself questions you previously did not ...

Towering Cornerstone

Mt. Moran, Grand Teton N. P. , 2010

The Role of Leader: the Beginning and the End

It is natural and therefore common to ascribe exceptional leadership skills to a visionary leader who has visibly manifested those attributes in the course of actively leading. Usually, the role of leader has occurred over a prolonged period of time and those qualities have been witnessed repeatedly.

 Usually, such a leader has had a significant positive impact on the organization and its members.

 In particular, he probably  has had a respectable influence on the development of younger, emerging leaders.

 To Do or Not To Do

I believe that in matters of leadership, as in so many areas of life, what we determine we should not do can be as important and sometimes more impactful, than what we choose to do.

The key to achieving a constructive outcome, is the rationale and the implementation of such decisions.

That rationale, in turn, most nobly originates when it is preeminently ...