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...
How long have you talked about change without really getting anywhere? That used to be me. All I did was talk, talk, talk about how I wanted to find a new career, or quit dentistry, or finally be happy and have fun in my life. I was all talk and no action. I didn’t know what to do or how to do it. No matter how often I googled “other jobs dentists can do,” it never led me anywhere. The problem was I was too scared to take even the tiniest baby step forward. Playing it safe kept me stuck...
Limiting beliefs are so sneaky, we often don’t even know they’re there. It’s easy to walk through life believing that what we see is the absolute truth. We do it all the time, and it’s pretty easy to do. In fact, it’s much harder to challenge what we believe. We often don’t even know that limiting beliefs might be behind some of our most apparent truths. Truth ambiguity is everywhere. Take politics. How is it that 50% of the people can see an event one way, and the other 50% see a totally different story? Or, how is it that...
Do you consider yourself lucky? I used to think I was a really unlucky person, and I had a lot of proof. I had never won anything in my life. You know those people who always win party prizes over and over? That was never me. No matter what drawing or contest I entered, luck never seemed to be on my side. It started early. I used to spend summers on the Jersey Shore with my grandparents, and my grandfather loved entertaining my sister and me. He would take us fishing, play Skeeball in the penny arcade, and stroll the...
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...
What are some jobs that dentists can do? I get this question all the time. We all wish we could get a hold of that top secret list of other jobs dentists can do, don’t we? It’s a good question, and creating a collective brainstorm with others is a great way to find new options. But the question is flawed. It’s flawed because it’s the wrong question, and it doesn’t work. I see it all the time in my Facebook group. Someone posts the question, and a lot of people join this collective brainstorm. It’s great to see everyone come out...
I’ve been having a lot of conversations lately about boundaries. Drawing boundaries is a good thing. It helps us stay true to ourselves. We get the chance to choose what is best for us, and the amazing byproduct is that we can be better for others. It’s definitely a win-win. On the flip side, though, saying NO too often can get in the way of living. Take the movie, “Yes Man.” Yeah, yeah, I know it doesn’t have the highest rating according to the Tomatometer, but the movie’s message is one of my favorites. In it, Jim Carrey plays Carl....
“Wow! Being a perfectionist is a curse!” I dramatically said to my patient with a sly smirk on my face. After what felt like an eternity of revisiting the stupid ledge that remained on that damn distal box floor of the MOD prep on #3, I had nearly given up. Fighting the patient’s tongue with my right hand while holding the mirror to barely see around my left hand doing the actual work, my right arm became fatigued. I was caught up in an obsessive pattern of alternating between blindly reaching for that ledge with a quick zip of the...
Find your passion, and you’ll never work a day in your life! Don’t you hate when people give that advice? For most of us, our passion is hardly profitable. I mean, how can I possibly make money cooking, eating, traveling, and hanging out with friends? Image by Luisella Planeta Leoni from Pixabay Yeah, yeah… I know that’s what they always say. I also know that it’s true. If you love what you do, it makes the work more fun, and it’s easier to get through the bad stuff. Finding your passion is great if you get lucky and happen to...
