Every now and again, I am contacted by a physician (although professionals from other fields do this too) who is feeling a deep sense of urgency about revamping his or her job or life. He or she seems to be moved by a spirit of needing to "step up" to playing a much Bigger Game.

Instead of expressing mere job dissatisfaction, or a desire to earn a bit more money, these singular people feel an urgent need to have a much larger impact on their community or the world.

These are some of the words I detect in their conversations:

• Legacy
• Making a real difference
• Reaching many more people
• Creating a world-renowned program
• Helping whole communities
• Bringing meaningful improvements to impoverished countries 
  

In The Entrepreneurial MD's July newsletter article, I address what happens to us when we are inspired to play a Bigger Game. Human Development coach Rick Tamlyn, of The Bigger Game, has created a simple elegant model that I have elaborated on.

I hope that many of you are feeling these strong impulses -- our country and our world are sorely in need of a new Gandhi or a Mother Theresa or a Mandela or even a Dr. Paul Farmer of Partners in Health!

Is it YOUR turn to "step up to the plate"?

You may notice The Entrepreneurial MD Blog grow silent for two weeks. I shall be vacationing in France with my family, in Paris for a few days and then at my brother’s home in the countryside near the Swiss border.

This trip comes with a large price tag – my 5-year old daughter is devastated at missing the opening of Wall-E and her beloved July 4th fireworks. “Pooh Paris” is how she describes it.

However, this mommy did some homework and discovered that the largest July 4th celebration outside of the US is held annually in nearby Geneva – so that will be her surprise, if we can handle a crowd of 35,000 in a foreign city.

I shall not be thinking much about my work, or the US healthcare system, or politics, or anything that reminds me of home. I plan a full-blown escape!

But I know I shall enjoy getting back into the swing of things when it is all over. I have discovered what it’s like to really love a job and to look forward to the excitement and challenges of making The Entrepreneurial MD a resource worthy of your attention.

Have a great couple of weeks, and for my US readers may you enjoy a festive Independence Day.

How frustrating is it to get your patients to keep exercising?

Or to commit yourself to spending two disciplined hours a night doing research for your new business instead of goofing off surfing and shopping on the Web?

Until now, we've had the easy excuse that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. But neuroscience is proving us wrong.

In a nifty article from ImprovedLives blog, titled What Neuroplasticity can Teach Us About Personal Growth, we learn the following:

"Neuroplasticity is quite simply the thing that makes personal growth possible. We talk about making changes in our lives and evolving into better versions of ourselves but neuroplasticity is the thing that actually makes it happen. And the most interesting part is that it only works if you put consistent effort into it. Your brain will only rewire itself, or in other words you will only achieve personal growth, if you put consistent effort into it."

While I have known about and been intrigued by neuroplasticity for some time (it the gas the fuels the results of coaching over the long haul), this article reminds me why of the few traits successful folks seem to have in common is persistence.

Intuitively, these go-getters must have realized that their tenacious efforts were actually rewiring their plastic brains!

Now is the time to vote in the Big Business Contest - I mentioned in an earlier blog post that The Entrepreneurial MD is one of 14 fianlists selcted from several thousand entrants.

If we win, I shall be provided with some intensive business building advice, strategies and tools. And I promise to share what I am learning right here on this blog.

Go here to vote, if you think we deserve it and you didn't already get a request in my newsletter (sadly, you can only vote once <smile>).

Look for the Vote Now button, and you can also check out the video I made by scrolling down a little to find the 14 contestants and then clicking on my headshot or clicking on the link just above.

I appreciate it very much!

As physicians chew on their professional options when contemplating leaving clinical practice, one of the questions I am often asked is "What other careers are available to someone with a physician's training and skill set?"

The news is good, as I have keep discovering, in my quest to find interesting physicians to interview for my Conversations with Trailblazers Podcast series.

Physicians are morphing into a wide variety of careers in an even wider range of industries.

Here then is my almost certainly incomplete list of possible areas inviting a professional move (and I now know of or have spoken to enough physicians that they span almost all of the categories):

•   Administrative/leadership role
•   Academic role
•   Educational/training role
•   Organizational executive
•   Consultant (area of expertise)
•   Advisor – to foundations, “think tanks”
•   Coach – life, business, executive, health
•   Pharma role
•   Biotech role
•   Information Technology role
•   Medical device role – inventor, patent holder with licenses
•   Business owner/entrepreneur - expert witness, information and other products, services, training, seminars, corporate and other wellness, weight management, cosmetic/med spa, manufacture and sell device/other products, ANY business
•   Media – TV, medical journalism, filmmaker
•   Speaking – motivational, keynote, workshops
•   Medical/healthcare communications (publishing, marketing, market research, advertising etc)
•   Book author, screen writer
•   Entertainment consultant
•   Clinical trials
•   Political role – political office, lobbying
•   Financial/investment – financial advisor, Venture Capitalist, investment banker/advisor
•   Program medical director
•   Real estate – medical and non-medical
•   Public health program/agency
•   Non-profit, public service
•   Executive search, recruiting

Remember, you can dig a whole lot deeper by attending the SEAK Non-Clinical Careers conference in Cape Cod, MA, in October 2008 (disclosure - I will be an unpaid keynote speaker there. And you might just have to come by and say hello, if you go!)

See anything on the list that appeals?

What's missing?