Normally, a day that’s associated with parades, family reunions, hotdog eating contests, fireworks and celebrations of freedom, this Fourth of July has been turned upside down and inside out. This year, it has me thinking about the true meaning of the holiday in the current context.
It has me wondering – what does freedom really mean to you?
Never before have we witnessed a time where the very concept of freedom has been challenged, the way it has been in 2020. The impact of a confluence of events has impacted us in heretofore unfathomable ways. Even 9/11 didn’t affect us so universally and so deeply.
We are so lucky to live in a Country where we can express ourselves, chase our dreams, and willingly help people who need us, especially as health professionals.
We are truly blessed. And I’m incredibly grateful for my freedom and the ability to enjoy it with people I deeply care for and love.
But like we’ve all seen this year, our freedom can be challenged.
To start the year, a worldwide pandemic restricted some of the basic freedoms we enjoy everyday and have taken for granted.
Things like going to a restaurant, park or to the beach, flying to a nice destination/vacation, being able to have a wedding, worship our religion with others, or simply go to work to support our family…
All taken away in the blink of an eye for so many.
And then with the rise of protests, we saw millions around the world join together to speak out against social injustices for those who don’t enjoy the freedom of equality that was codified in our Declaration of Independence as “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life. Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
We’ve also seen rioting, looting and the removal of time-honored memorials, as if our past can actually or should be erased. “Happiness” and “Liberty” have been challenged as never before.
It’s like nothing we’ve ever seen.
And despite all the chaos and uncertainty, I am even more grateful for what I have.
But not only that…
I’m also even more fired up to help lots more people through coaching, consulting and teaching, and by becoming an even better version of myself because I enjoy the freedom and ability to do so.
And I hope you’ll join me and do the same in your life and your Practice.
BE A BETTER YOU
Here are a few ideas that will enable you to start doing that today…
1: BE BRAVE
“The land of the FREE and the home of the BRAVE.” It’s part of our national anthem. Part of being free is being brave.
Have you thought what being BRAVE really means?
Bravery is all mental. Hence, it’s all within YOUR control. Usually the only thing stopping you from doing things you desire is the thought that you might fail. But even failure isn’t something that should stop you because every action you take is one step closer to your ultimate goal.
When you give yourself permission to fail, you have the ultimate freedom and immediately become BRAVE.
So whether you have a great idea for your practice, or you want to try something totally new – just do it! Trust YOUR VISION!
Trusting in yourself is an act of BRAVERY.
Be BRAVE and go for what you want. Our freedom allows for it.
2: BE YOUR BEST YOU
Forbes Magazine recently published a statistic saying that over 50% of women give up on their dreams (probably when they realize who they married. Oh sorry, that was my wife). An Inc. Magazine article said that 92% of people don’t achieve their New Year’s goals.
Many people let outside forces stop them from achieving their goals and dreams. For example, when it comes to building a great practice, you may have heard “you should be more realistic” or “should you really invest in that right now?” from the people closest to you.
Get rid of the negative people in your life. Or, at least, ignore them.
Successful people follow their dreams and are true to their values. They never listen to the naysayers. They’re the contrarians like Elon Musk who listen to their own inner self and inner guidance system.
Either way, I encourage you to be 100% true to yourself, your values and your mission to help others. Not only because there are people out there that need you, but because you have the freedom to achieve what you want.
3: IT’S ALL ABOUT HELPING OTHERS FIRST, AND ALWAYS
One of the things I try to communicate is that people really don’t care about your CE credits or your qualifications… they don’t care about the piece of plastic; they care about getting their problems solved and the effects that resolving those problems will mean to them.
Their trust, confidence and faith that YOU can help them is an integral part of the Doctor-patient relationship. It has been shown that, much like a placebo, it improves treatment outcomes. It impacts everything else in your practice as well.
As a Dentist and as a business owner, you should always put helping others first. Before the money, before you think about building or rebuilding your practice, you have to start by being genuinely and sincerely interested in helping others.
I have built a really good life for myself and my family through Dentistry. I never got into dentistry because of the money. I was really passionate about helping people. And during the Covid-induced pause, without doing clinical dentistry, I continued to help others.
Once you focus on helping people and solving their issues, are able to communicate it and once you provide an incredible level of value – the money, admiration, reputation and success come organically.
When you’re genuine about helping people everything else flows and falls into place.
This is so important today because there are too many people out there who really don’t know what we truly do. They need our help to visualize things that are possible, and that we can help them live better and longer lives. Many people have no idea of the challenges that oral health and breathing problems present. They accept their situation as “normal”. And that’s a big reason why Airway and Whole Health-focused Dentistry are so powerful! They are Life-Improving and Life-Extending.
Yet most marketing promotes typical dental services instead of outcomes and dreams. How sad.
All that said, we’re just at the halfway point of 2020 and this is actually a perfect time to implement these concepts into your daily routine.
These principles will allow you to enjoy your freedom even more and help a ton of people in the process.
Wherever you are in your practice lifecycle, Practice Perfect Systems wish you the best from the bottom of our heart. And, we hope that you use your gift of freedom to help others and make the world an even better place.
WHY NOT…Celebrate Your Independence Day Every Day?
To YOUR excellent health, safety and success,
Michael, Laurie and the PPS team
P.S. If you want to learn more about how we help dentists or if you just need a little motivational boost, book a free, 20-minute strategy session at: https://practiceperfectsystems.com/