Author's posts
There’s a good reason why we don’t see patients’ joy in the office
I like to think of myself as a relatively optimistic person. If you have ever met me in person, you might think that I have a pretty sunny disposition on life. And for the most part, I do. Since I write every day, however, there are times when my po…
The loss a physician feels after partial retirement
Retirement, or half retirement in my case, is a major life change. Transitioning from the accumulation phase, to the maintenance stage, and eventually to the deaccumulation phase can be daunting. These transitions are accompanied by a series of losse…
The surprising thing this patient was missing
She had everything she needed. Her husband had died long ago. But the fortune he left her would suffice. She had given up on mansions long ago. There were no children, so who needed the space? She was happy as can be in her little condo in the cit…
A physician manages life-work balance
I like work. I really do. Although I have been talking up my half retirement, there is a reason I am not going the full monty. I derive pleasure from being a physician. The ability to reach out and help other human beings, and get paid for it is am…
A physician’s experience with time stress
I have two Achilles’ heels. Two mental health issues that continually challenge me no matter how introspective and self-aware I become. One is food. I have talked before about how food was my money. As annoying as that can be, I feel like I h…
3 hurdles to financial independence
I have talked in the past about how I try to tackle the philosophy of financial independence. Part of the reason is that there are so many other amazing voices that manage the mechanical side. The other part is my profound belief that the grand major…
The financial independence wild goose chase
I was sitting across from a new acquaintance at the CampFI Midwest and he was telling me about his next budding venture. He had a brilliant business plan. An idea which no one had capitalized on before. He was in the middle of gathering investors and beginning the long process of due diligence. I probed further. I am […]
When doctors leave clinical medicine, don’t blame the victim
I don’t want to be unclear here. I don’t want to mince my words. But I’m mad about an interaction I had on Facebook. I was commenting on the Physician Side Gigs group page when someone riffed on one of my statements. They mentioned that my opinions could be a slippery slope towards a future […]
Avoid the power drain of life
I believe we have power. That deep inside each of us resides a unique purpose and identity that are unstoppable. That embracing this power leads to lifelong contentedness. Finding this well of vitality is complicated. Certainly it starts by telling ourselves the right stories about our lives. By becoming the protagonist of our own unique narrative, we […]
The 5 stages of financial independence
I have talked in the past about coping with financial freedom. Once we reach the mountaintop, we undergo a number of emotional changes. It is, however, a mistake to believe that the transformation only begins once we have attained our goal. In my humble opinion, there are five stages of financial independence. These stages begin with […]
