Archive for the ‘Life Lessons’ Category
Thursday, June 11th, 2009
I once read a snippet called ”The 45 Lessons Life Taught Me.” It is one of my favorite pieces; consequently, I’m going to illustrate each lesson on this blog. In the end, I hope you’re as inspired as I am to make each day better than the last.
Life Lesson #7: Cry with someone… it’s more healing than crying alone.
Okay, let’s be honest here. Everybody cries. I don’t care if you put on the most macho persona in the world — some day, some time, you’re gonna experience something so sad that it brings you to tears. And that’s perfectly all right.
However, it seems to me that crying, at least in American society, has been turned into something so private and verboten that many people are forced to hide their sorrow until they can cry in a room or car by themselves.
That’s sad. (No pun intended.)
See, when you cry alone, you’re really only accomplishing half the goal of crying. Sure, you’re expressing your feelings, but you’re not really getting anything back except a small sense of relief. What’s you’re not receiving is a sense that someone else understands what you’re experiencing and is willing to hold your hand through it… and maybe even cry alongside you.
The next time you feel teary-eyed, allow yourself to cry with a trusted person — your spouse, your kids, your best friend. It’s cathartic beyond belief and makes it that much easier to get beyond your grief.
“Stop TRYING… and start TRAINING!” Visit ActDental today.
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Tags: crying as catharsis, crying in private, crying together, crying with someone, getting beyond grief, Life Lessons, make each day better, sadness
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Tuesday, June 9th, 2009
I once read a snippet called “The 45 Lessons Life Taught Me.” It is one of my favorite pieces; consequently, I’m going to illustrate each lesson on this blog. In the end, I hope you’re as inspired as I am to make each day better than the last.
Life Lesson #6: You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
From the time we’re little kids, we’re slowly encouraged to win. Everything.
Maybe it happens subtly, as when our parents give us harder hugs for getting a prize than they do when we don’t receive a prize. (Shouldn’t parents react in the opposite fashion?) Perhaps it’s quite in-your-face, like when dad broods because a Little League game was lost. Regardless, we learn to want to win.
And that’s okay. Sorta.
The problem occurs when we take that “I-must-win-at-all-costs” attitude into every single conversation, especially on the job. Rather than listening to the other person’s words, we’re plotting our next move to win.
But you know what? I’m here to tell you that it’s okay to lose an argument.
It’s fine to change your mind or just agree to disagree. It’s mature, it’s cool and it’s practical.
And you know what? I’ve discovered that – sometimes — when you lose, you actually win.
Tags: agree to disagree, lose an argument, losing, win an argument, win every argument, winning, winning versus losing
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Monday, June 1st, 2009
I once read a snippet called ”The 45 Lessons Life Taught Me.” It is one of my favorite pieces; consequently, I’m going to illustrate each lesson on this blog. In the end, I hope you’re as inspired as I am to make each day better than the last.
Life Lesson #5: Pay off your credit cards every month.
Hoo boy. How many people just let the balance on their credit cards “ride”? The average individual in America carries $4150 in credit card debt, while the average household carries $7980.
Yikes.
I recently heard about an interesting radio commercial that went something like this:
Woman’s Voice: “Let’s make a deal. I’ll give you $100 and you give me $1,000. Sound crazy? That’s what you’re doing if you’re only paying the minimum balance on your credit cards each month.”
It was a truly striking example of this life lesson.
I don’t care if you’re talking about business or you’re talking about personal life — paying off your credit cards just makes sense. I know because it’s what I advise to all my clients, colleagues and friends.
If you do this:
- You won’t owe more than you’re worth.
- You won’t pay $500 for something that retails for $50.
- You won’t be quick to buy items you cannot afford.
Now, this isn’t to say that your life will be perfect. (Whose is? Wouldn’t it be boring if it were?) Nor is it to say that you won’t have to take out loans, especially for necessarily equipment… yet if that’s the case, you should always make your payments on time (and pay down the principal whenever you can.)
We live in a culture in which we pay for things we can’t afford…with money we don’t have….to impress people we don’t even like!
If you pay off your credit cards every month, I promise that you’ll sleep just that much better.
Tags: keeping a balance on your credit cards, may payments on time, owe more than you're worth, pay down principal, pay off your credit cards
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Thursday, May 28th, 2009
I once read a snippet called ”The 45 Lessons Life Taught Me.” It is one of my favorite pieces; consequently, I’m going to illustrate each lesson on this blog. In the end, I hope you’re as inspired as I am to make each day better than the last.
Life Lesson #4: Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
As humans, we’re pretty egotistical beings. It’s just the way we’ve been wired. From little on up, we tend to react to life with a “How does this affect me?” attitude.
And that’s good. Well, it can be. But it can also result in us becoming way too serious. That’s just a waste of precious time.
See, what winds up happening is that we start to take everything so seriously that we stop taking chances. We get so caught up in worrying about everything that we allow fear to overtake our lives. “What will happen if I…?” “What will they think of me if I suggest…?” We become toxic thinkers to ourselves.
So stop, already!
It’s time to take life lightly. Now. You can be serious about your dental practice management, but don’t walk around like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. Don’t be afraid to dance in the rain, sing in the shower or play jump rope with your kids (even if you’re highly uncoordinated.) Don’t be afraid to look a tad silly. Sometimes it feels good to do so. It’s okay!
Happy people are those who can allow themselves to be free. And others are attracted to that freedom of character.
“Stop TRYING… and start TRAINING!” Visit ActDental today.
Follow me on Twitter.
Tags: dental practice, dental practice management, don't be too serious, Life Lesson
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Thursday, May 21st, 2009
I once read a snippet called ”The 45 Lessons Life Taught Me.” It is one of my favorite pieces; consequently, I’m going to illustrate each lesson on this blog. In the end, I hope you’re as inspired as I am to make each day better than the last.
Life Lesson #3: Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
You get to your practice and you’re in a pretty decent mood. But as soon as you walk through the back door, you sense it: Chaos. Pressure. Cancellations. Frustration. Triangulation.
Your hygienist is in a tizzy. Other team members are moody. Even the usually-sweet patients are demanding and frustrating in a way that makes you want to become a hermit.
By the time you leave, you feel nothing but pure, unadulterated fury. You’re angry with your colleagues. You’re miserable just thinking about your patients. You’re even miffed at the drive-through gal who messes up your coffee order by substituting soy milk for cow’s milk.
You, my friend, are in Hate Land.
Though this is a totally understandable state, it’s time to take a step back and put your world into perspective. Yes, you had a terrible day. Of course you’re feeling out-of-sorts! But is it worth hating anyone?
The answer is a firm “no”.
When you spend time hating others, you only hurt yourself. Your blood pressure increases. Your heart races. Your brain swims. Your focus decreases. Essentially, all that hate winds up killing YOU. Not the people you so vehemently “hate”, but you.
Instead of wallowing in self-induced venom, you have to change the way you react to the world around you.
It’s fine to recognize and acknowledge the moods of others. It’s even fine to be disappointed that your hygienist was snippy to a patient (and you’ll need to address that asap, by the way.)
But it’s not fine… or recommended… to get sucked into a spiral of hate.
Life is too short and far too precious. Train yourself to LOVE THE THINGS AROUND YOU and practice GRATITUDE. It will help you reframe your day. When the undesirables happen, commit to being thankful about the things and people that exist in your life. It will lower your blood pressure, create clarity, and send out a positive vibration in the universe around you. Trust me…..it works.
Tags: ActDental, dental hygienist, dental professional
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Monday, May 18th, 2009
I once read a snippet called ”The 45 Lessons Life Taught Me.” It is one of my favorite pieces; consequently, I’m going to illustrate each lesson on this blog. In the end, I hope you’re as inspired as I am to make each day better than the last. You can read my interpretation of life lesson #1 here.
LESSON #2: When in doubt, just take the next small step.
I’ve had the privilege of competing in many athletic events, including triathlons, so I know how applicable this particular life lesson can be. For runners, swimmers and cyclists, there comes a point when the mind asks, “Can this body really go on?” And, of course, the antidote to such thinking is just to take the next step… then the next… then the next. Eventually, the desire to stop passes and you’re that much farther toward your goal.
The same is true in your practice. Many dental professionals and executives meet an impasse and instinctively stop everything. They aren’t certain what to do. So their first reaction is to do nothing at all. It’s a human response and makes sense from a survivalist standpoint, but in the business world, doing nothing can be deadly.
Rather than allowing doubt to stall your forward momentum, I encourage you to just take the next small step if you’re overwhelmed by doubt or fear. All successful people have fear. What separates the successful from everyone else is that they don’t focus on the emotions of fear. Instead, they focus on the INTENTION of their goals and take a step forward. It doesn’t have to be a huge step – it can be something tiny…as long as it is forward.
Remember your physics: “A body in motion tends to stay in motion. A body at rest tends to stay at rest.”
So don’t be afraid to move. Take a step forward!
Tags: Body In Motion, Business World, Dental Professionals, Forward Momentum, Impasse, Practice Performance, Survivalist, When In Doubt
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Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
To celebrate growing older, I once read a snippet called ”The 45 Lessons Life Taught Me.” It is one of my favorite pieces; consequently, I’m going to illustrate each lesson on this blog. In the end, I hope you’re as inspired as I am to make each day better than the last.
LESSON #1: Life Isn’t Fair… But It’s Still Good!
At an early age, we all come to the realization that life doesn’t necessarily make a whole lot of sense. The bully gets the coveted spot on the football team. The kid whose dad obviously completed his science project gets an A+. Your big sister picks on you incessantly but you’re the one who gets in trouble.
Life. Isn’t. Fair.
Okay, that’s true… yet it’s critical that we don’t allow that fact to color the way we look at everything. Unfortunately, too many of us forget that although life doesn’t always work out logically, it still can be awesome. Sunsets are brilliant, good friends are amazing and good clients make us smile.
In short, life is good. Not fair, but good.
My challenge to you is to remember this the next time something goes wrong in your personal or professional life. Maybe the dentist you work for chews you out for something that you didn’t do. Perhaps you get in an accident on the way to work and your car is out of service for days (but you’re okay!) Or just maybe you feel like you’re stuck in a rut and the whole world – especially given all the dire economic predictions — seems to be conspiring against you. In those situations, I urge you to look for the positive, the so-called silver filling… er, lining.
Because life is still good. It really is.
Tags: ActDental, Big Sister, Blog, Bully, Dad, Dental, Dentist, Economic Predictions, Football Team, Good Clients, Good Friends, Lesson 1, Life Doesn, Life Lesson, Personal, Personal Life, Professional Life, Realization, Science Project, Silver Filling, Smile, Snipet, Sunsets, Twitter, Whole Lot
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