Have you heard of the principle that “we are all connected?” It’s one I’ve often learned about from some of my favorite spiritual gurus, and I’ll admit– at times this concept has been hard for me to grasp. If you look around, you’ll see that we all have our unique personalities, lives, and agendas. Our individuality is exactly what makes us special. If each of us are all independent beings who march to our own rhythms, then how can we simultaneously all “be one?” It’s also hard to imagine how I can “be one” with a complete stranger driving in...
Do you ever take road trips anymore? The last road trip I took was in dental school– that’s over 20 years ago! It made sense at the time. We had an extended break and very little money to pay for travel. Based on the time commitment and the lack of comfort, I thought they were a thing of my past. But a few months ago, the road trip came back on my radar. My mom moved into a smaller house, and she had some goodies that she wanted to share with me. It wasn’t enough stuff to pay for a...
Do you love travel? Is it of high value for you to create great experiences in your life? Would you love to fly across the ocean to an exotic destination and get to enjoy the thrill of business class travel? Do you want all of that without breaking the bank? If you answered yes to any of those questions, listen up! I’ve partnered with longtime friend, Roger Kleckner, aka the Miles Mentor, to bring the art of affordable luxury travel to you. You might be wondering what this has to do with side gigs and career design. Well, it’s part...
I originally wrote this blog post on November 15, 2013. It was 2 years after I had officially quit dentistry. After blogging for some time, I met the first of many other dentists who had also experienced life after dentistry. I was so excited to meet Rick, a dentist and fellow blogger. A lot has changed since then. I no longer hide behind the screen name, Lolabees, and Rick has also evolved his own career. That is the great thing about taking that leap the first time– once you do it, you never fear changing again. Check out his guest...
Yup, I got sucked in again. Just when I thought my days of entering more contests were over, temptations of a big win lured me in. In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, I’ll go back to the very beginning. This whole blog started because during desperate times of wanting change, I mustered up the courage to enter a silly little contest. My task was to make a short video showcasing my skills in order to win a travel show host gig. If you knew me then, you would see that I am the last person who would...
Sometimes when I stop and look at the way life unfolds, I can’t help but notice how crazy it can be. I’m experiencing something I didn’t ever anticipate with this career change. Everything seems to be coming full circle, and… I never saw it coming. We can make plans and have dreams and hopes for our lives, but we never really know how things will turn out. When I was in college, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. The only thing I knew was that I enjoyed studying and speaking Spanish. It really was the only thing I...
Most people are shocked to find out that as a dentist I’m a total germaphobe. They often ask, “how can you be in people’s mouths all day long if you hate germs?” Hmm, good point! Well, I’m not a dentist anymore, but if I were, remember that our whole existence as dentists is to fight germs. So actually, it may not be much of a stretch philosophically. When I did practice, I did all sorts of quirky things to avoid the little buggers. It only seemed fitting that I tackle the subject in my guest post for Amber at With...
In case you were still wondering… I didn’t win the Biggest Baddest Bucket List Competition. If I had, you would have heard about it right away, over and over. In fact, you’d probably be sick of me by now. While I’ve summarized my journey into and out of dentistry on this blog, I realize I haven’t shared much of how life has been “post-retirement.” It’s no secret that I believe it was the best decision I could have made for myself. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but it was right. I am finally content, and...
I have a confession… I just entered the Biggest Baddest Bucket List Contest, and I don’t even have a bucket list. Well, I have never recorded an official bucket list. Here’s why: I do what I want when I want; I mean, when I can. (I’m not that cool.) In a way, it’s not unlike New Year’s resolutions for me. Resolutions are really motivational for some people, but they can also put others under a lot of pressure. When I’m under pressure to do something, I might resist doing it. This is partly why resolutions just don’t resonate with me. ...
In case you missed it, I submitted my entry for the Biggest Baddest Bucket List Contest last week. It’s too late to vote now, but it’s never too late to check out my submission. One of our tasks was to write a short blog post about one of our most memorable travel experiences. Lolabees started out as a travel blog, and I’ve been so focused on the adventures of my career change that I haven’t written about my travels in a very long time. So why not share the blog post about a fantastic adventure I had in Valparaiso, Chile...
