Soaring with Eagles

Start by doing what’s necessary, then what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible. —St. Francis of Assisi (1181–1226) Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is 75 years old this year! It is only appropriate that we honor this amazing feat of the most important educational and learning resource for all plastic surgeons worldwide. It is no wonder that PRS is and has remained the no. 1 peer-reviewed plastic surgery journal globally. I am truly humbled and honored to have been part of the Journal’s amazing saga for more than 25 years as a peer reviewer, associate editor, co-editor and, for the past 16 years, its editor-in-chief. It has been a remarkable journey to guide PRS to a new level of excellence. My predecessor, the late Dr. Robert Goldwyn, nurtured and grew the Journal with his wisdom and candor. So too will my successor, Dr. Kevin Chung, an incredibly talented plastic surgeon with tremendous organizational skills and work ethic that will take PRS to its next level of excellence. The Journal transformed during my tenure from a black-and-white print publication to a full-color, multimedia, interactive journal utilizing innovative videos and podcasts, dynamic expert discussions, social media, and so much more, as we have outlined in each issue of this year’s 75th anniversary celebration of PRS. All of these accomplishments have truly been a team effort with my editorial board, reviewers, and authors and particularly through the amazing support and insight of my Co-Editor, Dr. James Stuzin, who always asked how we could do more and do better for our readers. I have also been blessed to have an outstanding and remarkably loyal and talented staff, beginning with my first Managing Editor, Dan Sullivan, and a staff of one, to what is now a staff of nine extraordinary, hard-working individuals under the superb leadership of Editorial Director Aaron Weinstein. The editorial office team members we’ve worked with for many years—including Ed Tynan, Angela Burch, Donnell Moore, Christina Carson, Darienne Miner, and Maddy Ramos—have helped the Journal grow vastly beyond my dreams to what we have today. And the journal family we created continues to grow to meet the needs of our authors and readers. We welcome Anna Wojtul and Chelsea Young to the family! I am also grateful to the tremendous support of our national society, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and the society’s staff Vice President of Communications and Membership Mike Stokes. And I am indebted to our one-and-only longtime publisher, Wolters Kluwer Health. They have always been positive and responsive to my edgy ideas for PRS, from the launch of the Journal’s iPad version to the debut of plastic surgery’s first peer-reviewed open access journal, PRS Global Open, and through the expansion of all the tremendous visual assets now available to our readers online and beyond! I attribute this in part to Wolters Kluwer Health’s ability to see the value of innovation and adapt it to all their other journals when it worked well for PRS. We have indeed been on the leading and bleeding edge of both technology and educational advances in the medical publishing industry. I want to express my deep appreciation to our trusted, creative, patient, and dedicated publishers during my tenure, including Jim Mulligan, Liz Durzy, and Tom Pacific. I also want to acknowledge Karen Abramson, who was the president and chief executive officer of Wolters Kluwer Health Medical Research during a critical period of our growth and expansion. She had an amazing vision of the publishing arena, which allowed PRS to grow rapidly into some innovative areas. Of course, I must also recognize my tremendous and loyal clinical staff, Diane Sinn and Angela Martinez. I must also recognize my amazing family—my wife, my son, and my daughter—who have inspired me and always supported me during all my years with PRS. Through all of the long nights, the conference calls (and now Zooms), the numerous meetings and presentations around the globe, and the nightly editorial work, they have been the true source of my energy, my focus, and my life! The Journal has been a constant for our specialty in an era of information explosion and transformation. It has always served as the shining beacon of patient safety, innovation, and outcomes that allowed plastic surgeons to provide the best and safest care to our patients. What have I learned throughout this process? I have continued to grow along with the Journal every day in every way. The following are 50 life lessons I’ve learned and have served me well, and I hope they will help others in life, plastic surgery, and beyond. Remember, you must always soar with the eagles if you want to be one! Be a visionary, not a reactionary. Always stay focused—no matter what happens around you. The impossible just takes longer. Have a purpose-driven life. Believe in yourself and stand firm. Always do the right thing. Embrace failure on the pathway to success. Change is constant; learn to crave it. Believe in the power of peer review. Surround yourself with remarkable, loyal people who are better than you. Just because you can does not mean you should. Never give up, especially if you are right. Always stand with your true friends. What worked yesterday may not work tomorrow. Never look back—that is why the rearview mirror is small and the windshield is large. Each day is a new day. Passion is vital to your success. Be positive and stay so every day. Be fair but persuasive. Be persistent, but not stubborn or stupid! Plan each day—focus on three top goals. Always think big. Make the complex simple. Good is not perfect, but it is progress each day that matters. Listen before you speak. Always trust your gut; it is rarely wrong. Remember that only five people will majorly change and influence your life, so choose your peers wisely. Never be the smartest person in the room; hang out with people who are as good as or better than you. Show me your friends, and I will show you your life. There are three types of people: those who know what happened, those who wonder what happened, and those who make things happen. This must be YOU! Never hang out with negative people; they suck the life out of you. Remember that in your life, you only have about five true friends who will be there when it rains. All things in life are temporary. If they are going well, enjoy them—they will not last forever. If they are going wrong, don’t worry—they won’t last long, either. Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles; it takes away today’s peace. Actions speak louder than words. Always listen to the other side of any conflict. The cup is always full, not empty. All problems are opportunities for improvement. Treat everyone as you would like to be treated. Never assume anything—ask for help. There is no “I” in teamwork. Don’t point when asked, show them the way. Always lead by example—be a leader, not a follower. Be the best and do the best you can every day. Learn one thing new every day. Always give back; you will get so much more in return. Perception often equates with reality. Listen more often than you speak. The eye only sees what the mind knows. Believe in God or a supreme being, as we are not here forever! It has taken me a lifetime to learn and master what I have discussed above. I only wish I had known most of this earlier in my life, as they have made me a better editor-in-chief, a better plastic surgeon, and a better person. I am passing them on to you to use, to learn from, and to share. Eagles soar high. They are loyal and free. They inspire, guard, and oversee others. Be an eagle! I will always remember the lessons I’ve learned from being the editor-in-chief of PRS; the experience has given me the ability to soar among so many eagles, and has given me wings of my own. As I soar to my next adventure, I know that I am forever changed because of the amazing journey that the Journal and I have been on together. Remember, in plastic surgery, as is true in life, the journey is always more exciting than the ending. Farewell—but not forever! Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. —Winston Churchill ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Diane Sinn, Mike Stokes, and Aaron Weinstein for their assistance proofing and copyediting this editorial.