Let’s face it: Time is the real wealth.
It’s not just money that gives you freedom, it’s having the liberty of time — the ability to do what you want, when you want. That’s true wealth.
Yet in private practice, we often find ourselves caught between time and money. Too little time, not enough money. Or too much money, but no time to enjoy it.
Here’s the truth: the sweet spot between the two is where you find the magic in a properly run private practice.
Time vs. Money: Finding the Balance
Time without money limits what you can do. Sure, you might have all the time in the world, but without the means to enjoy it, you’re stuck.
Money without time is equally unsatisfying—what’s the point of having financial success if you’re too busy to enjoy it?
The real key is finding the balance—and that’s what private practice can offer when done right.
Cash flow is easy, but only if you’re focusing on the right things. Cash flow is all about execution. If your practice is like a sports team, you can have all the players on the field and take all the shots you want, but if no one is scoring points, you’re still losing.
This is why so many practices have inconsistent cash flow. It’s not because they don’t have enough patients or aren’t working hard enough. It’s because they’re getting in their own way.
The focus needs to shift from going through the motions to truly putting points on the board—achieving real results.
If you want more time freedom, your practices operations have to become more efficient. I know what you are thinking, “I already have enough to worry about.” To that, I would say you must understand…
The Power of Perspective: Problems or Solutions?
Inside your practice, you always have a choice: you can focus on problems or you can focus on solutions.
It sounds simple, but this distinction is at the core of success. You see, there is no such thing as life without problems. We all face them, every day. But the real issue isn’t the problem itself—it’s how we perceive it.
As the great Albert Einstein once said, “It’s either the problem or the way we see the problem that’s the problem.“
Let that sink in for a moment.
In nearly every situation, it’s our perspective that determines whether we’re held back or whether we push forward. When you change the way you see the challenge, you open the door to possibilities.
Inside every frustration, inside every obstacle, there’s an opportunity waiting to be uncovered. The shift from problem-focused to solution-oriented thinking is what will transform your practice.
When you walk into the practice, you decide how you’re going to see your day. Are you going to focus on what went wrong, or on the small wins and opportunities you can build on?
That choice defines the future of your practice. It sets the tone for your team, your patients, and your profit.
Reverse Engineer Success
The key to overcoming these obstacles is to adopt a mindset of reverse engineering success.
Take the challenges you’re facing—whether it’s time constraints, financial pressure, or team dynamics—and instead of dwelling on the problem, focus on the end goal. What does success look like for you? And how can you work backward to create the steps needed to get there?
This works for your patients, too.
Some doctors make the mistake of celebrating the easy cases—patients with healthy mouths, where there’s “nothing to do.” But here’s the truth: we should be celebrating the patients who come in with work to do. These are the people who need us, who are relying on our skills to help them close the gap between where they are and where they want to be.
That’s what it’s all about—closing the gap between status quo and potential. Whether it’s in your own life, your practice, or your patients, the goal is always to move beyond complacency, to reach for something greater.
From Status Quo to Success: Time to Dream Big
Complacency is the real enemy. You can stay as you are, accepting the status quo, or you can decide to dream bigger. The real breakthroughs come when you lift your eyes off the ground and set your sights on the horizon—when you allow yourself to see the possibilities and believe in what’s possible for your practice and your life.
Too often, doctors focus only on what’s immediately in front of them—the day’s cases, today’s challenges, this month’s production numbers. But real success comes when you lift your gaze and look further ahead.
When you start thinking about the next year, the next five years, and beyond, you can then reverse engineer the steps necessary to get there. You can plot your course, create a strategy, and build the future you want to see.
This is where leadership comes into play—between you and your team, you outnumber the patient. Every interaction is a chance to influence outcomes, to raise the standard of care, and to push your practice toward greatness.
Remember, you’re not just working in your practice; you’re building something. You’re building a system that creates freedom—not just for your patients, but for you as well. And that freedom is rooted in how you manage your time, your money, and your people.
Change Your Perspective, Change Your Results
At the end of the day, the problem is rarely the problem. It’s how we look at it that holds us back. When you shift your focus from problems to possibilities, from obstacles to opportunities, you gain the power to transform your practice.
Your time, your money, your people—they can be problems, or they can be the keys to unlocking greater success. It’s all in how you choose to see them.
So, take control of your practice, your perspective, and your future. By operating more efficiently and generating greater patient impact in fewer hours, you can liberate yourself.
You have everything you need to make 2025 the year of real wealth—the year where you reclaim your time by maximizing your value.
Respectfully,
Scott J. Manning, MBA
