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...
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 am an entrepreneur. Believe it or not, that’s a little hard for me to say. Today I was writing an email to a friend who is my client’s daughter. We don’t always become friends with our clients’ or patients’ families, do we? Unlike the days in dentistry, when I felt like I wanted to keep some level of separation from my patients in our relationships, now I get to become great friends with all of my clients. They share their personal lives, and when appropriate, I even get to connect with their families. I feel so grateful for it....
Dentists should never clean teeth. If you’re unhappy in dentistry, you should buy a practice. Those who can’t do, teach. We dental professionals have some strong opinions, don’t we? Statements like these create our reality about dentistry and have become a defining part of our dental culture. For decades, we have perpetuated beliefs about the way dentistry SHOULD be– without really questioning other possibilities. This messaging was passed down to us in school and in practice. Luckily, today more people are speaking up and challenging these long-held beliefs: The only way to be successful in dentistry is to own a...
Don’t you hate it when your patients blame you for something that wasn’t your fault? My tooth didn’t hurt until YOUUU worked on it. You put my crown on backwards, and now it doesn’t fit! You never told me I had to pay for these x-rays. Or how about the patient who refuses to wear the night guard they wanted, but it’s your fault? We know how that goes… your patient comes to you desperate for a solution to end their headaches. You notice that they have serious bruxism issues, and you recommend a night guard. You spend extra time...
Want to know my best tip for finding alternative careers for dentists? Stop asking everyone else what they do outside of dentistry! I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but the truth is, the question never works. Instead, you end up with a list of ideas, none of which sound good at all. I see this happen all the time in my Facebook group and with my clients. Plus, that used to be me when Google was the only resource available. I would find myself on the endless roller coaster, vacillating between obsessive googling of other career options and deciding to settle...
Dentistry is a great career, isn’t it? Or at least it has that reputation. You get to help people and change lives and be a respected member of society. Plus, everyone needs dentistry and always will. It’s not going anywhere, so you can collect a steady paycheck forever, really. The stability of dentistry makes this career a no brainer for many. That’s the great part about this career and a main reason many of us chose it. But is dentistry really as stable as we think? I talk to a lot of dentists who tell me that this stability and...
Do you remember your first crush? They often don’t work out so well. Maybe you were too afraid to tell anyone, and you found your crush and your best friend holding hands. Perhaps all the other kids in class made fun of you when they found out. Or maybe your crush embarrassed you with rejection in front of the whole school. Part of the fun and part of the problem with crushes is that we create an ideal image of the other person. We project onto them who we want them to be without really knowing who they are. It’s...
