Bear Lake – 2024

Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

The Personal Experience

The upcoming transition from your career is accompanied by a blend of thoughts and feelings that vary widely. They reflect your temperament, personality, and circumstances that are key factors in how you experience the process.

Pondering vs. Planning and Acting 

The thinking that relates to planning can range from delayed and minimal to proactive and substantial. In the case of the former, the results are often evident as a much less favorable outcome than what it could have been with timely planning and execution. The latter approach is usually manifested by a significantly greater degree of success and satisfaction. 

The feelings that you will likely experience can also vary widely: from joy of anticipation to downright dread. The former is commonly experienced by of those who plan proactively, whereas the latter is more likely the outcome for those who do not.

How You Benefit

Proactive, deliberate plan...

Haena Beach – 2021

Kauai, HI

Your Career Transition: a Stimulus for Personal Development

The transition from a career is commonly thought of as an ending, so much so that it has the term “retirement” associated with it. Various dictionaries describe the term as to discard, refuse, banish, etc. Indeed, the inevitable connotation is that of an ending of something. It is clear that “retirement,” as commonly used, is about a career that has come to its inevitable end. Notwithstanding our anticipation for fun, I ask: Is there something more than that?

I have lived intimately through this experience and have had discussions with many professionals and leaders over the years. I affirm that there is much more to this than is commonly thought and spoken about. So much so that it is very evident that “retirement” does not accurately describe what this is about. 

Primarily for these reasons, I write and speak about “transition.” This is a term that describes much more accurately what this ma...

“Endurance and Evolution” – 2022

The Teton Range

Grand Teton National Park

The Nature of Purpose

Purpose is not a destination. It is a foundation that evolves through the course of your lifetime. In the early years of a career, the expression of your purpose feels concrete. It is visible through effort, measurable in results, and affirmed by recognition. It is built on achievement, responsibility, and contribution. Yet as the seasons of life unfold, purpose begins to change its meaning. It no longer expressed memorably in the doing, but increasingly in the being.

This shift often comes quietly, even unexpectedly. What once provided motivation begins to feel like repetition. Goals that once inspired begin to lose their urgency. For many professionals, this is the moment when external measures of success have been satisfied, but inner fulfillment begins to feel incomplete. The transition that follows is not a loss of purpose, rather, it is a renewal. It is a process of reaffirmation...

This painting by John Trumbull (1756-1843), depicts the moment when the first draft of the Declaration of Independence was presented to the Second Continental Congress on June 28, 1776.

The Seldom Declared History of its Writing

The summer of 1776 was a time of escalating conflict with England.  It was a dangerous time for the American colonies and in particular, its leaders.  Military and political uncertainties abounded.

The conflict between the American colonists and British soldiers that began in April, 1775 had grown into the Revolutionary War during the summer of 1776.

In the meantime, there had developed a significant movement in favor of independence from England.  Delegates to the Continental Congress were faced with the necessity to vote on this critical issue. 

In order to do so, the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia for the purpose of voting on the question of independence. To accomplish that, there was a parliamentary and political need to draft a resolution up...

Canadian Geese (Branta canadensis) – 2025

Montana

The Genesis of Genuine Leadership

Great, existential challenges have a remarkable way of evoking different reactions from individuals with diverse personalities. The responses may range from cowering fear to towering bravery. The latter is witnessed in men known for their genuine boldness as well as the man who has been perceived as quietly meek. This seemingly outward meekness is sometimes misunderstood for a quiet, steadfast resolve. 

Who Are These Leaders?

Exemplary leaders may be found at a humble home, businesses small and large, churches, government bodies, medical organizations and in your own medical practice. The list is virtually endless. 

Some have a long record of leadership service; others seem to arise to meet the challenge that confronts them. You may have witnessed, as I have, a range of behavior of individuals in the face of crisis:

The usually, boldly verbose that becomes uncharacteristically quiet. Or the qu...

“Legacy and Serenity” – 2021

The Grand Teton, Mt. Owen & Tweewinot 

Taggart Lake

Grand Teton National Park, WY

The Changing Meaning of Success

Success begins as pursuit and matures into understanding. In the early stages of a career, success is visible, measured by progress, productivity, and recognition. It affirms competence and strengthens confidence. Yet as years pass, the definition of success begins to shift. What once inspired now sustains, and what once measured progress begins to lose relevance.

This change is not a loss of ambition but an evolution of awareness. Success no longer resides in comparison but in coherence, the alignment between what you value and how you live. When success is redefined through alignment, it becomes sustainable, meaningful, and peaceful.

The Limits of External Achievement

External achievement brings validation, but it also brings dependency. When self-worth is measured by productivity, recognition, or accumulation, identity becomes frag...

“Sunset Begets Sunrise” – 2006 

 Your Renewal Begins with Reflection

One fine morning you savor the last sip of your coffee. You feel peaceful as you have been thinking more often about your career transition and your new lifestyle. A smile emerges, but it is followed by a subtle undercurrent of angst.

These are mixed emotions: joy and apprehension. They swirl in your mind, stirred like the sweetener in your coffee. You wonder: How do others experience this? When should you begin preparing for it? How do successful professionals, business leaders, and executives manage this shift?

You sense that you must do something.

From Success to Uncertainty: A Common Experience

You may be someone who has excelled at building a career founded on vision, strategy and disciplined execution. Whether you are a physician, executive or business owner, your internal identity has been shaped by fulfilling responsibilities and experiencing the joy and satisfaction of your successes.

Now, you find you...

“Home Grown Love” – 2009

Florida

 Honor Mom…From Me to Mine, From You to Yours

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.

We have been graced by the benevolence of others. We recognize it and quietly think kindly of them. 

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.

I know that many of our blessings are divinely ordained. 

Another source is fellow human beings.  We know them as family, friends and acquaintances. Then there are those we do not know, but know who we are. They manifest their goodwill toward us even as we are unaware.

Each has their unique version of love and goodwill that benefits each of us.

Grace and Goodwill

It is rewa...

Paper Kite Butterfly – 2009

Florida

Finding Clarity Amidst Complexity

Thoughts of transitioning from your career usually do not occur all at once. They emerge gradually, often recurring at unexpected moments. Sometimes they are specific and clear; More often, they are indistinct initially. They are accompanied by a sense that change is upon you, even if you cannot define yet what comes next.

Time passes. Reflections recur and deepen. Yet clarity may remain elusive.

This is not unusual. It is, in fact, a common experience.

Eventually, a stronger internal signal begins to form, a desire to make progress, to prepare intentionally for what lies ahead. The principal challenge is not the absence of motivation. It is knowing how to begin.

When You Know It Is Time

At a certain point, key questions begin to take shape. When should you step away? What will replace it? How will your responsibilities evolve?

The answers often feel tentative because the process itself is unfamiliar. As you...

"Flying Freely" – 2024

White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorynchos)

Montana

The Two Forces of Progress

Freedom and structure exist in constant interaction. One expands possibility, an  the other provides direction. Together they create the rhythm of progress in work, relationships, and personal growth.

Throughout a professional life, structure dominates. It brings reliability, efficiency, and accountability. Yet when the formal responsibilities begin to fade, an opposite force awakens…the desire for freedom. This tension, if misunderstood, can create restlessness. But when understood, it becomes the foundation for renewal.

True balance does not mean equal measure. It means integration, freedom guided by principle and structure animated by creativity.

When Structure Becomes Limitation

Structure gives meaning to purpose, but when held too tightly, it limits imagination. For many professionals, structure becomes identity, the schedule, the systems, the responsibilities. When those dis...