A Solid Path Amidst Evanescent Obstacles - 2019

Sierra Nevada, CA

Timing: First Things First

Your End of Career Transition involves a multitude of matters that require thoughtful, timely planning in order to experience a smooth and successful outcome. They include personal, professional and practice preparations…in that order. This article addresses the solo practitioner practice model. Knowledge of preparation for this type of scenario has the broadest usefulness to other practice types.

As you read this, please review references to previous articles that discuss these topics in greater detail.

Unfamiliar Realities

There are two major realities that you should be aware of and consider as you plan and prepare.

The first is to acknowledge that your End of Career Transition is a process, not an event. It begins as a very personal experience when you find yourself thinking about it more often than usual. As time wears on, a myriad of questions will probably preoccupy you. Among...

Glorious Expression - 2009

Florida

Summary:

An Unspoken but Common Challenge to Your End of Career

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 and as you approach your end of...

Autumn Splendor - 2013

Colorado

Summary: 

Planning and Execution: How to do it

This is the familiar story of Alex, a fictional character like many accomplished individuals from all walks of life. Alex is at that time of his (or her) career when he can see his end of career on the horizon.

He has had a successful career. The discipline of creating visions, actionable plans executing them is familiar to him. He has done it repeatedly during his career. But a powerful insight in a moment of clarity revealed to him the source of his angst. It is that he is about to enter an unknown phase of his life…that this is all new and he is not prepared. So how do you go about creating your Post Career Lifestyle Plan _TM?

First, it will serve you well too pause and reflect. Clearly describe your character and your life’s purpose. State the endeavors, activities that fulfilled your purpose. Think about the things that are fun and you enjoy doing. Then consider that a fulfilling...

Tenaya Creek and Lake - 2006

Yosemite National Park

Summary

Your Potential and Life’s Panorama

When considering the matter of actualizing your potential, you may reflect on what you have accomplished, a promotion, a career or a title…and rightfully so.

These are laudable achievements that were based on your character, personal qualities, and diligent effort. 

There is, however, a more expansive, dynamic and beneficial perspective that describes the actualization of your evolving potential. One that is based much more on the nature of your character from which your life’s purpose expresses itself. 

This attitude supports your ability to more fully express your character and purpose in diverse ways as you live through the phases of your life.

It is beneficial to you now and as you progress toward your end of career.

For more on this, listen to the audio above.

Updated: Saturday, August 27, 2022

PS: By the way, do you want to learn more from me...

Stability Amidst Change - 2010

The Teton Range

Grand Teton National Park, WY

Summary:

Your Transition Is a Stimulus for Personal Development and Fulfillment

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...

The Right Decisions Manifest Freedom

Your end of career is approaching. 

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

You’re 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’ve 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 know. 

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’s also the time to apply the skills and wisdom you’ve developed over the course of your career to this very special time of your...

Sunset to Sunrise

Rocky Mountains - 2005

Planning and Preparedness

A common life experience is the feeling of uncertainty that arises from an inevitable, yet unfamiliar change. The kind that looms large in your horizon and is accompanied by significant challenges. 

There are some challenges that minimize your feeling of uncertainty by virtue of education, training and devoted effort to a particular achievement. Most often, your education and training occurs relatively early in life, prior to launching your career. Then there are some events for which it is usually very difficult to prepare far, far in advance.

(With the recognition that there are a variety of practice settings, the model described here is that of a solo practitioner, as there are many elements of that which apply to other types of practices.)

Timely Training

A relevant example is the end of your career. My experience as a consultant/coach on this and related maters is that there are some physicians who begin to...

Giant Sequoias - 2004

Mariposa Grove, Yosemite N. P.

On Visions and Planning for Success

When the time comes that you begin to seriously consider ending your medical career, you will find yourself thinking about a variety of personal and professional concerns as well as matters related to your practice.

The myriad of concerns that you will have to address will vary significantly according to your type of practice: solo, group or otherwise employed. There will also be variations in practice preparation, particularly if you are in solo practice and want to execute a succession plan or close your practice. Nevertheless, across the spectrum of practice types, there are some common matters, duties, and tasks that must be accomplished. 

It’s my personal experience that you will need more than just knowledge about what’s now unknown about what you are going to embark upon. You will need and greatly benefit from applying a method for planning and executing a successful End...

Exuberant Vision - 2010

Preliminary Steps for Creating a Smooth Transition

Your End of Career Transition will require careful attention to a variety of tasks in order to achieve a smooth Transition. There are five factors that commonly get in the way of achieving that: 

• Lack of awareness of the magnitude of the process.
• The difficulty of knowing when to begin to prepare. 
• What matters must be addressed.
• The order in which tasks should be completed.
• The lack of a structured transition plan. 

The approach to addressing these concerns can be customized for the various practice settings: physicians in solo or group practice and those who are otherwise employed.

The Process of Transition

There’s a common concern that becomes an increasing preoccupation as the questions related to your End of Career Transition increase in number and complexity: it’s an awareness that your transition is not a singular event. It’s a process that is complex and lengthy....

Waves of Joyful Anticipation

New Smyrna Beach, FL - 2008

Plan Now, Prosper Later

The End of 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 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 am confident that you have 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 in unique ways, your family, are also going...