It was really refreshing to receive such significant feedback (and more accurately a whole lot of \u201chell-ya\u2019s\u201d), from my recent Private Practice Reports we focused on in the first quarter. I have great news. There are more coming your way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, I pride myself (more so than anything else) on being the Champion for Independent Dentists. And really more than that, the General of not just sustaining, protecting, preserving Private Practice but actually for ensuring that Private Practices continue to prosper and remain as the cornerstone of Dentistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While I do fully and firmly believe Private Practice will always out-number the DSO\u2019s and Corporations, that isn\u2019t as important as for them to out-perform them \u2013 and that won\u2019t even be a close race. There isn\u2019t even any comparison to make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reason is simple\u2026 Ownership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today isn\u2019t the day for me to go into the concepts and principles around this. There are economic and industry undercurrents that will ensure I\u2019m right \u2013 that we\u2019re right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the greatest reason why I believe in the pride and power of Private Practice is because there is more to it than just the doing of the dentistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sure, some segment of doctors will always choose jobs, others will create careers, and then there are those that will grow businesses. You are proof of this concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More so though, what I\u2019m here for is not to only make sure Private Practice endures, it is far more of a meaningful mission of mine to make certain you are living your best life and growing into your potential. After all, how can there be thriving Independent Dentistry without thriving Independent Dentists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve heard the saying \u201cliving the dream\u201d and actually it\u2019s one of those most annoying sayings because people usually mean it facetiously; which I find that insulting. Instead, I am here to make sure you are actually living your dream. Your real dream. The one you see now and the one you evolve into for your future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This brings us to a crossroads and my topic today. You see, some people live in fear over the economy and the unpredictability of the world and therefore they search out security. Yet, there is a steep price demanded for that reassurance. What people don\u2019t realize, until it\u2019s often too late, in searching for this idea of security they also give up their independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With independence comes a different sort of security that you can\u2019t buy or be given. Autonomy. And for that there is no replacement. It is essential if you are to truly realize all of your ambitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a funny thing about the people who have it all\u2026 they believed they could. Regardless of external forces, despite setbacks and challenges, in contradiction to outsiders, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I ask the question \u201cwhat motivated you to become a dentist,\u201d \u2013 even if it includes family history or wanting to help people \u2013 the number one answer is always to be able to make a good living and still have a life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not that they are unhappy. Sure, some are, others not. It\u2019s that they haven\u2019t achieved the level of success and lifestyle they anticipated by now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I mean, when you\u2019re a doctor, it\u2019s 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 in exchange. Whether that\u2019s long hours or too much stress or playing manager or being distracted when you are home or too tired to enjoy your family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019re living an illusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But there is a more important list to make. The one of all the things in your mind you believe aren\u2019t possible, that you can\u2019t do, that won\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is it insurance, team, schedule; is it 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?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t be afraid of that list. Instead rise above it. These are just a few of the things I\u2019m going to be covering in my upcoming Power of Private Practice Whiteboard Session (watch your email in the coming weeks for details).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s what I can tell you: if you line up the doctors that \u2018have it all\u2019 and are the envy of many, it\u2019s not the ones with the biggest practices, it\u2019s not the ones working the most, it\u2019s not the ones even doing the biggest cases, it\u2019s not the ones with the biggest teams\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is the doctors that have decided exactly how their practice is supposed to fit in and facilitate their lives and not the other way around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In all of my books 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019t find these stories of real success anywhere except here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And not one of them would be possible if they hadn\u2019t embraced their independence, took control, exerted authority, and completed what was required to have their practice service their life by engineering a business and practice model that made ownership not just work but worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To be successful without giving in to the norm, without sacrificing your principles, without compromising your clinical philosophy, and without giving up your life and time with family to do it \u2013 isn\u2019t what others want you to hear or believe. They want you to be a slave to your practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kids, grandkids, skiing, fishing, golf, tennis, art, reading, photography, hunting, community service, mission work, travel\u2026 simply making memories and having fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 \u2018life after dentistry.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My most successful doctors all did the three things most doctors never do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1st \u2013 They gave themselves permission to not feel guilty about wanting more than they have today; even if that means working less and making more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2nd \u2013 They made the commitment to define exactly what they wanted their lives in and out of the practice to look like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3rd \u2013 They took action and did the things necessary to make that a reality for them, their teams, their patients, and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reason these contribute to success is because accomplishment is formulaic. It is not accidental nor does it require some natural ability or certain type of personality. It requires only one thing\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You to be true to yourself\u2026 to not suppress but to live into your dreams and that means you first must be willing to dream, to expand your vision, to think outside of your status quo, and choose change that allows you to create what you really want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is your one life. It\u2019s yours to make the most of. I\u2019m so proud you have chosen Private Practice, let that not be enough\u2026 there is so much more to discover and become, to profit and prosper, to experience and explore all through embracing the Power of Private Practice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"