My Story:
My life’s journey is a story of youthful happiness, then struggle, perseverance and great successes.
A story of incredible experiences…life’s catalysts for personal and leadership development.
A story of major life transitions…life’s exclamation points that can shake you to your core.
A story of developing Clarity of identity, Conviction of purpose and Courage to express it.
A story of the possible and its utmost fulfillment that I share with you…
My earliest memories as a young boy in my native Cuba was coming home from school and playing in our huge yard with my little brother, José. The late afternoon torrential rains would come and part of the fun was trying unsuccessfully to avoid getting hit in the head with those huge raindrops. I remember that when they hit the ground, the splash they made seemed to be almost as big as my own head. After a while, the thunderstorm would stop as quickly as it started. The sun would shine brightly and the sound of ringing bells from the ice cream truck would be heard coming down the street toward our house. More joy and fun would follow!
As I became older, the joys began to diminish and they were replaced by worry and even fear. There were the sounds of gunshots in the night and stories of tragedies that the revolution brought to our lives.
My father's philosophy of child rearing was that he was raising men. Even then, I was vaguely aware that the events of the revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power and affected so many others, had a way of shortening my childhood and precipitating my early adulthood.
My First Major Transition
Further events ensued that were extremely disruptive to my family as it was for most Cubans. For my brother and I, the culmination of so many terrible events occurred on a hot Havana day in 1961. That was the day my parents put my brother and I, alone, on a Pan American flight to Miami, Florida so that we would survive communism, be safe and free. I was ten years old; he was eight.
My father told me that I was in charge of taking care of José and that I was not to ever allow us to be separated for any reason. That became my mission. I did not know it then, but as I reflect now upon my storied past, I realize that it was a defining moment in the leadership development path that has been characteristic of my life.
Not long ago, someone asked me if I was afraid. I was rather stunned momentarily by that question and paused before answering it, as I realized that I had never thought about that. It had never crossed my mind because I was never afraid. As I look back, I realize that that event was the first of many major life transitions that I would experience. I mean transitions of such magnitude that I refer to them as" life's exclamation points.”
When the airplane landed in Miami, I walked down the steps onto the tarmac and immediately felt the most secure ground that I had felt in a very long time. That very profound feeling was promptly followed by an incredibly memorable one that is indelibly imprinted in my mind: as we walked up the steps to the second floor reception area, I noticed in the corner a large, beautiful American flag with a golden eagle atop its mast. I felt welcome and I knew we were safe. To this day, I have enormous gratitude to the United States of America and I nurture a very special meaning of that flag and eagle.
No one in my family knew whether we would see each other again. For many of us, that became our fate. Thankfully, my parents, my brother and I were eventually reunited in the United States.
Becoming an American
As my teenage years went by, I was challenged in my development as most other kids. In addition, I had other tasks such as learning a strange new language, developing friendships as a stranger to my peers and learning how to become an American in my adoptive country. Some may say that I was disadvantaged. If that was the case, I never thought so. I do know, that while we had lost everything and were poor in material resources, our parents taught and guided us with a wealth of morals, principles and faith. Our family successfully transitioned to a new culture in which we became integral contributors as American citizens. Sadly, my brother’s contributions were short-lived as his life suddenly ended at an early age. For me this became another unexpected life transition.
After high school, a sixteen-year educational path ensued. I completed two surgical residencies and became a Diplomate of the American Board of Surgery, as well as the American Board of Plastic Surgery. I founded Florida Plastic Surgery, where I had the honor and privilege of serving my patients with uncompromising integrity and excellence.
Some of my Best Friends
Throughout the years, the leader within me evolved. I developed a strong sense of patriotism, community service and a desire to contribute to the American culture. These values manifested in numerous leadership roles within and beyond the medical profession in the service of others that continue to this day.
More Personal Transitions
I was blessed with a wonderful marriage and four amazing children. As happiness abounded, I experienced yet another unexpected life transition. My wife, Kyle, was diagnosed with cancer and passed away shortly after. I felt profound pain, grief, sorrow, concern for my children, loneliness and uncertainty about my personal life in the future.
Through faith, grace and determination, my family and I collectively healed and continued living a productive life. Over a period of time my children grew, became independent and developed their own careers successfully. I continued my love of profession each day and somewhere along the line, found my new love.
Today, I am blessed once again to be happily married to my best friend, Dawn. Our family has grown to six wonderful children and twelve beautiful grandchildren.
My wife Dawn, and I.
My Unexpected End of Career Transition
Little did I know, even more changes were on the horizon. I had been practicing for twenty-four years and had not yet reached the peak of my career when I was diagnosed with colon cancer. I had prompt treatment, but the side effects and other problems prevented me from continuing practicing plastic surgery. With these developments, my practice abruptly ended. That ending launched a new beginning and thankfully, I have been cured of cancer for a good number of years.
I sought out professionals that could assist me in a comprehensive way to manage all the interrelated issues that suddenly I had to confront. First and foremost there was the impact on me personally and professionally, as well as on my family…after all, we had recently experienced a major, unexpected loss. Then there were other important matters, such as ensuring my patients were cared for, my staff’s needs, finding a qualified custodian for medical records, divestment of various assets, and the list goes on and on and on.
I searched for someone with experience who understood the personal, professional and business dimensions of the situation to help me deal with it in its entirety... I found no one. Thankfully, I had the support of family, friends and colleagues. Yet critical concerns remained, so I did the research, sought out counsel from professionals that I have long respected and I did find my way successfully.
At first, I considered my options based on my training and experience as a plastic surgeon. Virtually all options were based on practicing plastic surgery, which was no longer possible. The options were severely limited…until I changed my perspective. At that moment, it changed from initially describing myself by my career and title (What), to Who I am and Why I had become a plastic surgeon. I recognized that my career had ended, but my character and purpose in life had not. That empowered me to create a new career that expressed my character and fulfilled my purpose.
Designing My Second Career…Principles and Practices
My second career is based on what I have learned from personal experience, deep study and from coaching and consulting. One lesson, is that most of us have clarity of Who we are, as well as our purpose. However, this very personal knowledge sometimes seems to lie dormant even as we express it as we live our lives. I note that it’s at the time of great, personal events such as triumph, tragedy and End of Career Transition, that it’s very beneficial to reflect on this matter with deliberate purpose.
My various experiences have made possible my development of a new paradigm for navigating life’s transitions. One such major event is one that most people call “retirement.” I refer to it as End of Career Transition. It accurately describes the end of career not as an event, but a process, the purpose of which is to experience renewal and fulfillment. This is a powerful paradigm that empowers an individual to shift his perspective from a possibly negative experience to a positive and rewarding one.
A practical consideration is that your transition will usually begin when you find yourself thinking about it more often than usual. It’s then that it will be beneficial for you to reaffirm to yourself that your character and purpose will remain intact. Only What you do will change. That can be a variety of things as you seek balance in your life by continuing to fulfill your purpose and have fun that is well earned and deserved!
These personal considerations are not commonly spoken about, yet they are commonly experienced.
There are many individuals of diverse backgrounds that benefit from guidance to successfully navigate through their End of Career Transition. What is common, is that this is an unfamiliar experience that comes to us with significant and diverse challenges.
These great needs motivated me to serve medical and other highly skilled professionals in order to prepare themselves personally and professionally.
Physicians have diverse practice settings such as solo, group practice or otherwise employed. In each case, there are unique preparations that should be planned in a timely manner. As a consultant to physicians in this area, it’s my observation that the time to begin preparing is often much earlier than you may think. This is often the case as I consult with solo practitioners to prepare their practice and carry out a succession, sale or perhaps closure of their practice.
As to myself, I’m enjoying my second career. I also make time for my passions of nature photography, fly fishing and most of all, spending quality time with my beautiful family.
I now leave you with this idea: I encourage you to believe that whatever your goal or challenge, the path to your success and fulfillment is to:
Plan. Prepare. Prosper. TM
You are welcome to request a complimentary initial conversation about your End of Career Transition. To do so, click here.
My best wishes to you and your family!
