Am I Pollyannaish?

I received a few notes that my previous post was Pollyannaish. The people said I was minimizing the need to make money and provide an income for the family.

I was not minimizing the need for each dentist’s business to be successful – to provide great care and make an income. Rather, I was asking questions surrounding balance and priorities.

Each year I speak to dentist who own highly profitable offices. When I ask them what their next goals are they invariably include more production and more profit. While I love bigger and more successful – I always ask that dentist about their non-dental life and happiness.

Funny thing is that most of these dentists see themselves as being two separate people: (1) the non-dentistry person and (2) the dentistry person. They don’t see that they are one person and by keeping moving the bar farther on building bigger practices that they are taking away time from the other parts of their lives.

I simply ask dentists to see themselves as one person and that they can only allocate each hour once. How big is big, how much is a lot – I tell dentist to start seeing their practice as a conduit and part of their building a perfect life. That a well-run and managed practice can provide them with both the time and money to enjoy the life they truly want.

If you goal is to have a larger top line income and bottom line is simply to break records – consider at what cost. I know my kids are happy I make a few thousand less but at am at all their sports games, musical performances, school parent nights and that I know their friends and do their homework with them… WHAT IS THAT WORTH?

Dr. Corey Gold
President – Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com