I’ve been set on a search for a talented dentist to join a transitioning team. Every time I put out my hand in the grab bag of available searching dentists, I’m shocked by what I find. The oozing of loathsomeness just for the fact you possess an opportunity and position they have yet to work for. The entitlement just because you’ve been through dental school. Or the fact that they’ve been dragged through the mud in previous experiences to tell you it’s retribution that they seek in stealing back patients. Yikes.
And I need to preface this episode by telling you, there are so many wonderfully talented dentists that I’ve talked to in my search as well. Ones who truly care about what they do, how they treat people and appreciate the position they are in. But they know their self worth, their value and are motivated in growing. That’s the most beautiful attribute I come across with any talent I meet, and I hope you take away from today’s episode, we can all work more on ourselves towards that ideal.
So what’s stressing me the most about dipping my explorer into a class V decayed abfraction and looking for a new dentist?
My #1 complaint. It’s ghosting. Failing to show up. Wasting another person’s time. That’s after setting up a date and zoom link, emails grrrrrr. I have to believe this is a hangover behavior from the current swipe culture. A glut of information and opportunity always running towards you. You know, Tinder, Bumble, Grindr, whatever floats your boat. Swipe left, swipe right, chat for 2 subject lines, ohh new match, this might be so much better. Choice paralysis ensues for all parties involved.
And if it wasn’t online dating, that any of this new era of lost etiquette, it’s the fact that social media, instantaneous communication via our phones has made us into self absorbed insolent snobs. I’ll admit, I have had my fair shakes of when I would act like that ignoring calls on my flip phone.
The mindset of the more perfect practice or associateship awaiting us will always debilitate our judgement of what is right in front of us. I think we too often worry, like the RCT that appears short 2.5mm on the xray. Most likely, if you had let the hypochlorite soak long enough, this tooth remains asymptomatic for years to come. Instead, just to make yourself feel like I did ‘good’ endo, you have to plop your patient back down for another hour, rip out the old gutta percha and try again, with no guarantees that you get the other 2.5mm.
But we future cast our own FEARs before anything happens. Any time you look to make that major switch in your life, it involves a leap of faith. You always have one of two choices in light of FEAR.
Face Everything And Rise…
Or Forget Everything And Run…
So when you get ghosted, ignored, or blatantly left in the cold. Think about what it is that person is facing.
FEAR will either paralyze or push you to new heights. You decide.
Keep Thrivin!
Lam