Dr. Maroon is a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry and the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. Forced to change his ways after going bankrupt in 1992, he converted his insurance dependent practice into an insurance independent esthetic dental practice. Dr. Maroon is now sharing his experience with dentists around the world through his Dental Dynamite! Seminars and The Dental Leader newsletter. For more information contact him at 39 Webster Square Road, Berlin, CT 06037. Phone 860-828-3933, Fax 860-828-1610 or e-mail at dentalldr@aol.com.

Against The Wind

Last summer I spent some time at Great Herring Pond in Plymouth, MA. One of my favorite ways to relax when I'm staying at the "Pond" (which is really more like a lake) is to go for a bicycle ride along the Cape Cod Canal. They have a nice bike path that goes from Buzzard's Bay to Plymouth Harbor. It's a fun ride, about 7 miles or so one-way, and usually there's a strong wind blowing from one direction or the other. Pedaling downwind is literally a breeze! But pedaling against the wind is a lot harder. Sometimes the wind is so strong that I need to shift to the easiest gear and pedal constantly just to get where I want to go.

Usually when I'm pedaling against the wind I have a lot of "self-talk" going on. You know, the little voice inside your head that is constantly talking. In fact, it never shuts up! This little voice and the message it sends will make or break you. It's amazing how something so simple as "self-talk" can have such an impact on our lives.

Your "self-talk" determines your personal success. If you talk to yourself negatively and focus on all the bad things that can possibly happen in any situation, you will never get far in life. How many times have we all heard the phrase "paralysis by analysis." However, if you talk to yourself positively and look at all the good things that can happen in any situation, a strange thing will begin happening in your life. Most of the things you talk positively about will begin to come true. I can't explain why this happens. It doesn't really matter how it works, it just does!

Take a few moments and ask yourself, "How am I talking to myself?" Think about an experience in your life where you succeeded at something that you were extremely proud of. Think back to how you talked to yourself. Then, think about a time when you feel you failed. I know, you're thinking to yourself, "But Mike, you always tell us there's no such thing as failure!" You're absolutely right; there is no such thing as failure, only life's experience. But you may not have felt that way at the time. Think back to how you talked to yourself when you went through that experience.

Let's go back to that bike ride against the wind on the Cape Cod Canal bike path. I kept telling myself to pedal a consistent speed. I even thought about a favorite song and tried to pedal to the rhythm of the song. I also told myself that the burning feeling in my legs felt good. I was losing weight, releasing endorphins and getting my heart healthier. I listened to the beating of my heart -- it really felt good, like I was in control of my own body. I also focused on people riding ahead of me and imagined I was in a bike race. My goal was to pass one rider at a time and get to the front of the pack. Do you see what I was doing? I was thinking positive thoughts to help me accomplish my ultimate goal of getting back to the summer home, while riding my bike against the wind -- and it worked!

I want to be able to look back on my life and say, "I'm proud of all that I've accomplished. I'm truly happy with myself." That's what I want my kids to learn and the environment I want them to grow up in -- where they believe and love themselves first! Make yourself happy, truly happy. All else will follow.

Take this same basic premise and apply it to your dental practice. If you have changed your personal philosophy (because you've attended continuing education or have seen the pros and cons of a certain way of doing things through years of experience), should you continue to practice the same way that everyone else does? And if you choose not to, does that mean that you should be ashamed of yourself for going "against the wind"? I don't think so.

If you are not following what you believe in your heart to be the right thing, shame on you! There is no right or wrong way to do something! We are experiencing the most rapidly changing times the entire world has ever seen. Dentistry is not what it used to be 30, 15, 5 or even 1 year ago. You will not be able to survive the evolution of dentistry if you resist change. Don't take my word for it. Ask the people whose opinions should really matter to you, your patients!

I've spent thousands of dollars on consultants to my dental practice (and it has been money well spent) but the best consultants I've ever had have been my patients. It is their opinions that I truly value. One of the best things we've done over the years is to randomly take our best patients out to lunch and informally "interview" them. It helps us see how we're doing in their eyes. No matter what you do, if your patients don't understand the benefits of the changes you are making, you will always be running "against the wind."

Another thing I like to do is contact my entire patient base at least twice a year by telephone. I usually pick two or three weekends and call every single patient of record to "touch base." This simple act of calling patients sends a powerful message of caring I would never be able to get from any other form of marketing. I usually begin by thanking them for their trust and confidence and the privilege of being able to provide dentistry for them. Then I ask if they’ve enjoyed their experience in our office and if they have any suggestions for improvement. Most people make simple small talk and don't complain about anything. However, a few do voice their opinions and this call gives me a chance to head-off potential problems before they get too big.

Think about the way you are practicing dentistry right now. Will you leave the profession better off when you retire? Are you participating in an insurance program because you want to or because you have to? Are you afraid of change? Remember there is no such thing as standing still -- you are either moving forward or are being left behind. I believe we have a tremendous responsibility in dentistry to make each person we come in contact with better off for the experience. Think about how many people come through your office each day weighed down by the problems of the world. The number of people in this country who are suffering from depression is staggering. Why do you think this is happening? It's because people feel helpless. They aren’t doing anything to change their lives. They just go through the same motions each day. You may be one of these people.

Now think back to a time when you felt unstoppable, when you were on top of the world and no one or nothing could bring you down. What did that feel like? How did you act towards other people? I'll bet you were awesome! We've all felt like that at some point in our lives. If you think back, it was probably a point in your life when you accomplished something you initially didn't think you would be able to do. It could have been achieving at a sport, getting through dental school, meeting the prettiest girl or the most handsome boy at the high school dance, passing organic chemistry . . . it doesn't matter -- you were awesome! That is the feeling you should try to project each day in your dental practice. If you do that and truly have fun with dentistry, you will have a dramatic impact on people's lives.

But, it will only work if you are constantly learning and improving yourself, because as you improve yourself you naturally want to pass it on to others. This simple fact of nature will attract people to you and your practice like a magnet. The funny thing about the whole process is that it is not easy or for the meek. You must be willing to persevere all sorts of attacks from some of the most unexpected people. You may receive challenges from your spouse, your dental team, your colleagues and your friends. You see, some people don't want you to succeed faster than they do. It could expose their own flaws. It's easier to knock you down than to improve themselves. It makes them feel better. You may have to fight "against the wind" for awhile. But, if you do, you will find the rewards worth the battle. Eventually, you will be looked upon as a leader, a "go-getter." You'll start hearing things like, "He can do it because he's in that town" or "She can do it there because of her facility." It's really quite amusing because they could do it too. They just haven’t tried.

• Always persevere.
• Surround yourself with people who know how to succeed.
• Learn something new every day and implement it in your life.
• Don't worry about making massive changes all at once. It's much easier to make small, incremental changes each day. The more you make the easier it gets. Change will perpetuate itself.
• Change is good!

There are strong "winds" you have to face and they are coming at you from all directions -- your staff, your patients, your fellow professionals, even your own family! No matter how strong the winds blow, don't ever give up.