There is a funny thing about the people who have it all… They believed they could. Regardless of external forces, despite setbacks and challenges, in contradiction to people that say otherwise, and against all odds they decided that they would only accept the exact practice model they wanted that would also make possible the lifestyle they deserved.
When I ask the question “what motivated you to become a dentist,” – even if it includes family history or ‘good with my hands’ or ‘wanted to help people’ – the number one answer is always “be able to make a good living and still have a life.”
And you know what, not just 5 or 6 but 8 out of 10 are writing that very answer while at the same time either burnt out or wanting out or just feeling like they have not yet arrived at their state of ideal. That perfect picture they once envisioned has become elusive.
It’s not that they are unhappy. Sure, some are and others not. It’s that they haven’t achieved the level of success they once thought they would have by now.
I mean, when you’re a Doctor it’s not hard to earn a good income. It is more about what you have to give up, what you have to sacrifice, the responsibilities that you have to carry, the compromises you make. Whether that’s long hours or too much stress or playing manager and doctor or being distracted when you are home or too tired to enjoy your family.
You know the things about yourself (your life in general and your practice in specific) that you wish were better. You can make THAT list. You should. Because without it you’re living in an illusion.
But, there is a more important list to make. The one of all the things in your mind you believe aren’t possible, that you can’t do, that won’t happen.
Is it insurance, team, schedule, or no more than a few days of vacation; is it profit, investing, and building wealth; is it getting patients that are actually interested in life-changing dentistry?
Once again, you have that list.
Don’t be afraid of that list. Instead rise above it. That is exactly why I wrote my most recent book. For you, for doctors searching and ready for the “Next Level” of success in their Practice and Lifestyle.
Grab Your Free Copy of ‘How Any Doctor Can Experience Dental Success Today’ >>>
Here’s what I can tell you: if you line up the doctors that ‘have it all’ and are the envy of many, it’s not the ones with the biggest practices, it’s not the ones working the most, it’s not the ones even doing the biggest cases, it’s not the ones with the biggest teams…
It is the Doctors that have decided exactly how their practice is suppose to fit in and facilitate their life and not the other way around.
It is the Doctors who are clear on what they deserve and that they take full pride in the fact that their definition of success is the only one that matters.
In my new book, How Any Doctor Can Experience Dental Success Today, I highlight countless stories of Doctors who have had their own personal success. This is what I call creating a Lifestyle Practice, because it is not a cookie cutter concept. What you design is as unique as you are.
You will, I assure you, see commonalities in all of them and yet you will see even more individuality and differences in them also.
That ANY DOCTOR, who decides to, CAN SUCCEED in their own way is not something you ever hear in a lecture room or at an annual convention or in your local study club or online or in a trade publication or anywhere else. You won’t find these stories of real success anywhere except here…
To be successful without giving in to the ‘norm,’ without sacrifice of your principles, without compromising your clinical philosophy and standards, and without giving up your life and time with family to do it – isn’t what others want you to hear or believe. They want you to be a slave to your practice. But that is a choice that you do not have to make.
In dentistry, your fate is your own and what matters is that at the end of each day you finish fulfilled, well compensated, and able to move on with the rest of your life. Your practice does not have to be an anchor to the life you are building, a distraction to time with the people you value, and an impediment to your pursuit of other things you love…
Kids, Grandkids, Skiing, Fishing, Golf, Tennis, Art, Reading, Photography, Hunting, Community Service, Mission Work, Travel… simply making memories and having fun.
It really boils down to how much you value yourself and the fleeting time you have. As you have heard me say before: no Doctor deserves to wait until ‘life after dentistry’ to have a life.
The entire point is to run your practice so that you can grow your life; not to grow your practice so that it can run your life.
No matter how big or how small there are principles of success that matter and I’ve taken time to lay these out for you in my book so that you can see the commonalities of success while at the same time embracing your personal preferences.
My main point to you today is that ANYONE can become successful in ways in which they never truly thought possible. ANY Doctor can choose to write the next chapter differently than the last by creating something that makes you proud and serves your greater purpose.
My most successful doctors all did the three things most doctors never do:
1st – They gave themselves permission to not feel guilty about wanting more than they have today; even if that means working less and making more.
2nd – They made the commitment to define exactly what they wanted their lives in and out of the practice to look like.
3rd – They took action and did the things necessary to make that a reality for them, their teams, their patients, and their families.
The reason these contribute to success is because accomplishment is formulaic. It is not accidental nor does it require some natural ability or ego or certain type of personality. It requires only one thing…
You to be true to yourself.
And that’s exactly what I hope I awaken inside of you when you read my new book. You will challenge yourself to discover above and beyond what’s possible and realize what you are truly capable of.
Every Doctor begins somewhere. The question is not the beginning but what your Dental Success Today is going to look like for the rest of your career.
Watch what happens to your own expectations and desires when you question the status quo and refuse to settle for anything less than all you deserve.
